His Eyes All Knowing
by BoomSplat
Summary: "I had promised to never to die for another person. Yet, as I looked down into her gentle eyes, I knew that I was doomed to this fate once again." Self-Insert OC as Neji Hyūga. He tries his best to be his own person, but finds himself falling for the same issues as his previous life.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters.**

* * *

My favorite kind of fictional characters growing up were the ones willing to sacrifice themselves; the heroes who were willing to die for the greater good.

Harry Potter. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Jack Shepard. Neji Hyūga.

I never realized how much these characters would come to screw me over until it was too late.

I had gone through the life with the sense of invincibility reminiscent of all youth. Why wouldn't I? I had gotten to an exclusive Liberal Arts College despite my many fuck ups in life. I had a loving mom that accepted me for being gay. I had a large number of friends that were drawn to my kind personality. I was considered intelligent by many of my peers. All of these factors led me to make a decision that cost me my life.

It was a regular day at my college. I woke up, went to breakfast, and hung out with my friends at my dorm.

It started then.

A buzz from all around the room. The campus text messaging system regarding emergencies on campus. It read "THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THERE IS AN ACTIVE SHOOTER ON CAMPUS. SHOOTER HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN WESTERN PARKING LOT. DO NOT LET ANYONE INTO THE DORMS."

There was a silence around the room. Of course, our dorm was the closest dorm to the Western Parking Lot. There was a nervous chuckle around the room. Someone suggested we barricade the doors. Others suggested we all go back to our rooms. Within minutes of these suggestions, the door to our room creaked open.

He was a kid that I had seen around the campus. He was quiet and unassuming. I never thought twice about him, but looking back at it now, I had never seen him actually talk to other students. Maybe he had been lonely all this time. Maybe something in him had snapped, but whatever it was caused him to take it out on us.

He walked in with a slouch, and both of his hands in the pockets of his oversized coat. His eyes were firmly planted on the ground as if looking at something we couldn't see. It was the same quiet and unassuming walk that I come to associate with him from the periphery of my vision as I walked through campus.

"Hey-" I began. But, I was quickly cut off as he brought one bloodshot eye to look at me. He eyes slid away and looked across the room from person to person. His eyes finally stopped on my roommate, Toby.

I had known Toby for less then a year. But I already knew he was going to do great things. He was the kind of kid that refused to be just ordinary. He had once told me that if he was going to major in a subject, he wanted to be one of the best at his subject. And it showed. Despite taking a hard course load, Toby had a 4.0 at a school known for its grade deflation. Besides this, Toby had been the perfect roommate. He gave me space, yet always found time to visit my side of the room. We had become good enough friends to the point where we had been discussing rooming together the following year.

The room had been quiet this whole time. Everyone was afraid to voice the fear we shared. This silence made the rustle from the intruder all the more poignant. The intruder dug through his pockets slowly pulling out something that was black and metallic. All while doing this, he continued to stare at Toby from across the room.

Obviously, the object he drew was a gun.

And obviously, I reacted.

I had always told myself that I would die for my friends. It was sort of an unhealthy thought, but it was the thought that I had as I hung out with my friends. These people had brought me such joy and were such amazing people. I was willing to make the sacrifice because I knew the world needed them the same way I did.

There was a loud BANG as I slammed into the intruder. I attacked him with an animalistic rage that I never knew I possessed. A sharp pain blossomed in my chest, but I pushed through it and continued to slam my hands frantically against intruder.

How dare he attempt to kill my friends? How dare he attempt to kill Toby, a kid with one of the brightest futures at this college!

The kid laid purple and bruised below me and clearly unconsciousness. I felt a surge of triumph, but the pain my chest became unbearable. I looked down at my chest and there was a scarlet color across my white shirt. I smiled weakly and collapsed next to the in the intruder. I closed my eyes because suddenly sleep seemed like an incredible idea.

I heard arguing around me and people frantically saying my name. I peaked my eyes open. Toby and several of my other friends were standing above me with anxious looks. One person behind them was on the phone, and it looked like they were crying. Why were they crying? Everyone who was important survived.

"Toby?" I rasped.

"Yes?" He replied softly.

"Tell my mom that I'm sorry." I said as my vision began to fade. It was a bit of a cliché, but she needed to know.

I closed my eyes for the last time and breathed my final breath.

_ Goodbye everyone._

* * *

I woke up to what felt like large hands grabbing my bare torso.

When I say large, I mean _GINORMOUS. _

One finger felt like it could stretch all the way across my body. I started to panic and thrash round. I tried to cast my gaze at the giant, but everything seemed like dimly lit blobs.

_Why couldn't I see? Why can't I move? Where I am? Why is everyone so big?_

All these questions raced through my mind as I felt these giants lift me.

One of the giant blobs-I still couldn't see clearly- pulled me close to their chest. They leaned their head down and brushed their head against my cheek. I attempted to pull away, but this caused them to brush their soft lips harder against my forehead.

_Wait, Lips?_

I heard then a whisper. A voice so soft that I probably would have missed it if their lips weren't so close to my face.

"Don't cry, Neji-chan. Mother will protect you" A soft yet strong voice whispered gently to me in Japanese.

It started to occur to me then why everything was the way it was. Why I was so small, and why I couldn't see and where I was.

I had been reborn as a baby to a couple that might have watched too much Naruto.

I had never been the religious sort of person in my first life. I guess that was why it took so long to realize that I wasn't in a hospital because I survived the gunshot wound.

In retrospect, I logically knew that I had died. I had felt a cold feeling creeping up my body as soon as I was shot. I also knew that the nearest hospital from my dorm was over half an hour away. But, would your first instinct be to think that you were reincarnated?

Probably not.

I spent the next 30 minutes being passed around and cooed at. The whole time I refused to say a word. My silence was sort of suspicious, but no one commented on it. I was just lost in the realization that I had died. The idea of the perceived invincibility of youth was a bit played out, and I had logically knew that I could die. But every time I had done something stupid in my life, it had always paid off. I had always been lucky in that regard.

'_I guess this would be considered lucky then.'_ I thought gloomily.

In all intents and purposes, this should be impossible. If reincarnation was real, then I would assume that people don't usually keep their memories or else people wouldn't doubt its existence. I was even born in a situation where I could get fluent in Japanese, a goal of mine that I had never had time to work on. I had taken courses in Japanese for over 5 years which is why I had been able to understand the voice earlier. I was nowhere near fluent, however. One of my goals in life had been to fluent so I could converse with my mother in her native tongue.

'_Oh shit, Mom.'_ A sense of guilt of me washed over me as I remembered my mom. I had loved my mom with all my heart. I was not ashamed to be called a Mama's boy. She had done everything for me, and one of my biggest goals in life was to reward my mom for everything done. College had been the start of a road to a doctorate and well-paying job so I could finally give my mother the lifestyle she deserved. This could never happen now that I was here.

All of these depressing thoughts ended up tiring my newborn body, and I quickly fell asleep.

* * *

I spent the next month in a daze. The feelings of guilt I had felt earlier refused to leave. Why had I been chosen to live again? You could argue that what I did was selfless, but I just couldn't see it that way. I left my mom alone. My father had died the year before me, and it had just been my mother and I. I left her alone. After all she had done for me, she would get the news that her son stepped in front of a gun for kids he had known for less than a year rather then stay alive for a person that loved him for his entire life. My mom didn't have much friends, she had been much too busy with her job and paying my for education to have that time. I could only pray that she wouldn't be alone during this time.

These thoughts kept me in a constant state of melancholy. I would often lay in my crib and sob. It wasn't the kind of loud, obnoxious crying babies did; it was the kind of pathetic weeping that I had done particularly well in my previously life when I was upset.

My new parents noticed my peculiar behavior, and it frightened them. The second time they caught me doing this, they brought me to the doctor because they were afraid that I was in pain. After the check-up, the doctors concluded that there was nothing wrong, I was just sad.

Of course. no parents knows what to do with this.

The next time I cried, my new mom picked me up and brought me close to her chest. I sniffled and looked up into her face. My eyesight was still pretty bad, but I could tell she was smiling.

"Neji-chan" She spoke gently, "Mother will always be there for you,". I felt a warmth expand through my chest with these words. Yet, my heart still ached for my old mom. I began to cry even harder. She rocked me gently again and continued to whisper these sweet things into my ears.

A cycle began. Every time I cried, my new Mother would be there for me. It's said that mother and children release hormones that help the mother and child bonding process. I don't know if this was the reason, or if I was enamored by her kind nature and persistence, but I became utterly devoted to her. She became my new everything, Life had given me a chance to be the best son to a new mom, and I refused to let her down the same way that I did my first.

Soon my eyes began to develop, and I started to notice the little details that I had missed earlier. Mother and my new father had pupils eyes the color of white opals. Despite my initial thought that my parents must like really Naruto if they named me Neji, there was little technology in the house outside of an oven and other kitchen appliances. What really sold me was the feeling that I could feel inside of myself.

No, I didn't mean the feelings of grief and guilt I had mentioned earlier. No, I meant this moving flow of energy I could feel in me.

It flowed through me like a blood, but unlike blood I could shape and change it.

_'Is this Chakra?' _I realized with a jolt.

I hadn't just been reborn.

I had been reborn in the anime Naruto as the character Neji Hyūga .

There was also the thought I wanted to ignore but couldn't. A thought that sent fear down my spine as I dared to think it.

_Does this mean I'm meant to die at the age of 18 again?_

* * *

**Author's Note: After years on this website, I thought I tried to write something**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Naruto or its characters. **

* * *

I decided to stop worrying about my incoming death. I had 18 years to figure that out, and it was likely that me just being born different from Canon Neji would impact how the plot would go.

I spent a large portion of the first several months learning the language. I would try my best to listen to my parents speaking and sometimes Mother would point out objects and say their names. Through this, I was able to eventually come to understand a good majority of what my parents said. I also tried to practice talking but my vocal chords were far too underdeveloped to speak clearly.

My fast learning made sense once I thought about it in terms of what I learned in my Psychology class at college. The reason young children that learned multiple languages at young ages tend not to gain accents was that there are critical periods of language development in which the portions of the brain responsible for language acquisition become used. This is also why learning second languages as an adult seem so troublesome. The portion of the brain that were directly tied to language development stop being used, and your brain uses other portions of the brain that are less useful for language acquisition to learn languages. This concept showed with how I was able to pick up the language. I was not able to fully understand certain words and verbs, and more complex sentences still alluded me, but my comprehension of the language had already surpassed my peak in my former life. Based on this, it seems only natural that I would be able to pick up the language much more quickly than my previous life as an adult.

The other portion of my time that I didn't spend eating, sleeping or getting my diapers changed ( an experience I tried to ignore), I spent messing around with the bundle of energy inside of me known as chakra. I knew that playing around with it could be dangerous because if I used too much of it would kill me, but I tried to be extra safe when using it. I spent my time trying to stick my feet to the walls of my crib, but I always stopped as soon as I felt tired. I often wondered when Neji had started using chakra in the plot.

Probably not before he was 1.

_'Speaking of the plot, wouldn't that mean' _

I glanced over at my new father. He was, without a doubt, Hizashi Hyūga . Which means he would die while I was fairly young. I didn't know my father as well as my new mother, but I could tell he loved me. It was in the way he looked at me. He looked at Mother and I like nothing else in the world mattered.

Hizashi was rather busy, despite just getting a son, and he wasn't around the house often unlike Mother. I hadn't been particularly close to my father in my first life either; this made the distance figure Hizashi could be at times easier to consider as a father. Hizashi still tried to make time for Mother and I. Sometimes Mother would take me to see Hizashi spar with his twin brother. I always looked forward to these moments because I would get to see chakra being used firsthand. It was at of one of these matches that I remembered one of the defining characteristics of Neji's backstory: The main and branch family of the Hyūga.

"Concede, Brother. You know you've lost." My father spoke down to his twin. Hizashi had just landed the decisive first strike and had managed to knock Hiashi down This was the second day in a row that my father had won sparring, and it obviously rubbed his brother the wrong way. This is usually where the matches end. Today was a little different though. As my father leaned down to help his brother up, a dark look flashed through Hiashi's eyes.

"Not today, brother." Hiashi snarled. He leapt up to his feet and began to spin. "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven! **Kaiten**!". A dome of blue swirling chakra surrounded my Uncle and soon in engulfed my father.

"Hizashi!" Mother cried. My father was flung back several feet and landed in a heap on the floor. He raised one hand to console Mother as he pulled himself off the floor. Father didn't say anything for the longest moment. The atmosphere was tense. Sparring between my uncle and father had never gone this far. Then Father broke the silence.

"Hiashi, you said you wouldn't use Main Techniques when we sparred in front Neji. Neji can't know that you've been letting me win", Hizashi whined. The tension within the room was cut with a hot knife as both the brothers began to laugh.

"You were starting to get a swollen head, little brother. Also, I couldn't let my nephew have a bad impression of me" Hiashi laughed.

I had been sitting on my mother's lap the whole time, and I could feel her tense under me. She picked me up and slowly rose to meet the laughing twin brothers. She walked over to them with the silence of only a trained shinobi.

**_SLAP!_**

With a single motion, she slapped the cheeks of both the brothers.

My mother truly was a force of nature. I had never seen her like this before. With her long brown hair, slender figure, it was clear that my mom would be considered a beauty by any standard. Yet now with her eyes bulging with the signs of an active Byakugan, it was clear that she was also a fierce kunoichi.

"How could you do this in front of Neji. What if he had started crying? This is just like when we were all on the same genin team. You two always take things too far!" Mother roared.

This statement made me blink._ These three were all on the same genin team? That must have been a disaster._ But, also what made me think was what my Father had said. _Main Family? Wasn't that the really important to Neji's backstory. What was it the specifics of it again_?

As if sent by the heavens to answer my question, someone else entered the conversation.

"What is the meaning of this?"

An older gentleman with featureless white eyes walked into the clearing. He radiated authority that only came with age and experience. He walked with a cane that made a tapping on the floor as he came closer. His face was twisted in an almost sour expression as he looked over at my parents.

"Father." My Father and Uncle both said in unison.

"Honorable Elder." Mother said while bowing.

He looked over the current scene with the critical eye. The red cheeks of my father and uncle and my mother clearly being the culprit.

"You know your duties as a branch member, Hinako. You are to service the main family."

"Yes, Honorable Elder. I meant no offence. I will fulfill my duties as expected of me from my clan." Mother said dutifully.

"I would expect nothing less," Grandfather said stiffly. He walked away as fast as he entered.

As he walked away, I could only think about what this mean. Being a branch family was almost being a second-class citizen in the Hyūga clan. How could I forget such an important part of Neji's background? But more importantly, what did this mean for me? Would I be able to sit down quietly an accept my place like Neji had done in the story?

For some reason, I doubted it.

* * *

By the time I was 6 months, I said my first word. Mama. This brought delight to my mother and jealousy from my father.

But there was a look of pride between the two of them. They clearly thought that I would be a a prodigy, and I didn't want to prove them wrong. Soon, I was walking and speaking basic sentences. I could speak better but, I didn't want to come off as too smart or they could grow suspicious.

Mother taught me how to read, and they would often find me trying to read from the thick tombs that lined the wall.

Mother would also often play games with me that were poorly hidden training for being ninja. Games that involved throwing objects at specific points for kunai training. Games similar to patty cake to help with my dexterity and reaction speed.

I still practiced my chakra exercises as well. I too afraid to try anything too advanced, but I could get my feet to stick to the walls of the house, and I could get my clothes to stick my body in my attempt to mimic the leaf sticking exercise. I would often practice having my clothes stick to my body while I read. In my humble opinion, I was doing pretty well for a kid that wasn't even 1 years old yet.

When I finally turned 1, my parents had a birthday party that was just the three of us. We sat in the living room of my house around a small table. On the table laid a small cake with a single candle. I blew it out as my parents sang beside me. There were some traditions that even remained among lifetimes and worlds. Apparently, birthdays were one of them.

"We also got you a present," My mother beamed as she pushed a wrapped box in front of me. I tore into with all the excitement of a 1-year old child. Inside of it was a several rubber kunai and a book about chakra points.

"Does this mean?" I looked over at my parents trying to hide my excitement but failing miserably.

"Yes, son. Your mother and I agreed. It's time to officially start your ninja training.". My dad beamed down at me. We all pulled together for a hug, and I think I had never been happier in my one year of being in this new life. If only this moment could have lasted forever.

But, it didn't.

* * *

It seemed like any other day. Father and I had just finished our morning exercises.

During our first lesson he had taught me how to activate my Byakugan. It was a simple as just focusing chakra to my eyes. He was rather surprised that I was able to do it on my first try, but he didn't know about my chakra exercises.

The first time I activated my Byakugan, I had immediately gotten a massive migraine.

Having extended 360-degree vision was an adjustment that I would have to get used to if I wanted to be able to use correctly in battle. The Byakugan could be too much stimulus for people who are ill prepared for it and that was why I got a migraine. Father told me that the headaches would go away with time and practice.

Father would have me wake up at the crack of dawn so he would have time to go to work afterwards. Morning exercises consisted of endurance training with exercises such as running, jumping jacks, squats, and push-ups. After this, Father would then show me Hyuga Clan Kata while instructing about how to hit tenketsu. This would then be followed by kunai, shuriken practice and practicing hand signs.

Did I mention I did this all while having my Byakugan active so I could get used to the negative effects?

Training pushed in a way that I had never been pushed in my previous life. I refused to complain though. Most children didn't start training at the age of 1. Father and Mother expected a lot of me, and I refused to let them down.

After morning exercises, Father would leave for work. He was an active Jounin, and I expected he was Anbu which is why he hadn't left the village. Anbu went on secret missions outside of the village, but there were also Anbu tasked with patrolling the village and keeping the citizens safe. I assumed my Father was in the ladder. He never talked about his work, and I never asked him about it.

Today was no different. As soon as morning exercises were over, I went back to my house and showered.

I helped Mother with chores and we would snuggle on a couch while we read together. I would read the book they got me for my birthday, and sometimes other books in subjects I was interested in. I would have to stop and ask my mother for helping reading especially difficult words and phrases, but she never seemed to mine. I would always look forward to these moments that I would shared my mom. I was still a mama's boy through and through.

The fierce kunoichi that had slapped my uncle was rarely seen by me. My only guess was that I had done little to anger her since my birth, or that she reserved her anger for my father and uncle. Today would be different though.

_**BOOM!**_

"What's that, Mama?" I questioned my Mother from my position next to her.

"I don't know, Neji" She replied quickly. "I'll go check it out". She jump and left the room with a poof of smoke, the sign of the shunshin.

_I've never seen her move_ _that fast. I wonder what happened. Hopefully, it's nothing urgent._

She popped up back into the room in the same cloud of smoke that she left.

"We have to leave. Now." Her voice was urgent as she picked me up and set her on her back. She ran out of our house and soon into the busy streets of Konoha.

"Mama, what's happening?" I questioned her. My question was answered as a I looked up into the sky. In the sky, I could see a large red creature smashing into buildings. _The Kyuubi attack! How could I forget! _My mom ran even faster as the Kyuubi seemed to get even closer to the both of us. There was another _**BOOM**_ as the Kyuubi destroyed more buildings that were closer to us. I could feel the explosion as the force caused me to fall off my Mother's back.

"NEJI" My mother screamed. There was another explosion right next to me. I tried to get up, but the quaking of the ground left me feeling so disoriented that I fell over. I could hear the creak of woods splintering as the house next to me caved in. A single streetlight fell over and rolled off the roof. I could only watch as it moved its way closer to me, ready to spear me straight through.

I couldn't move.

I blinked.

in that second my mother reacted.

She shoved me roughly away from where I was standing.

But, she didn't have enough time to save herself.

"Neji," Mother said weakly. The pole had gone straight through her body and she just laid there unwilling to move. Every breath seemed to involve pain throughout her body.

"Neji, you have to go." Mother coughed out some blood as she said this. Everything inside of me screamed at me to run. To go find help and shelter.

But I couldn't. I was still frozen.

I could only watch as Mother continued to cough out blood. She continued to beg for me to leave.

I continued to stare at her as blood dripped from her torso.

Her face become more and more pale. Until, suddenly,

She was gone.

I had lost my mother again.

I just sat there and stared at her. She looked so different dead. Her eyes that use showed strength were dull. Her face was no longer vibrant. Her beauty had faded.

I didn't know what to do. I had promised to treat my mom right in this life, and I thought I had gotten a second chance. But, she was gone.

_What is my purpose? Why was I sent here to lose another Mom? Why did she have to sacrifice herself selfishly like I once had? _

Father found me like down my face staring at Mother's corpse. He eyes visibly widened as he looked over the scene. Without a word, he picked me up and carried me away.

* * *

We held Mother's funeral a week after her death. Lots of people I had never met showed up to give their condolences. Mother had touched not just my life but many others. They always tended to say the same thing.

"She was so brave."

I didn't see it like that. This was just like when I died for my friends. I had seen life slowly leave my Mom's body. I had seen her eyes turn glossy and her face turn pale. There was nothing beautiful about her death.

All my life I had romanticized characters who had died to save others. But now, I knew the truth about it. Their deaths weren't great or special.

Their deaths were selfish.

I promised myself then and there that I would never die for another person again. Not like Mother.

* * *

Hinata was born only a couples of months after. Father had decided to take me because he had become afraid of leaving me alone after what happened.

Hinata was passed around the room like I once was. I couldn't help but remember that this was the child that Neji died for in the story. Father held her and pulled her close. I hadn't let him hold me recently, so he treasured the intimacy of a child no matter where he could get it.

"Look Neji, Hinata has her eyes," Father said as he brought Hinata down to my position. I liked into the eyes of newborn, and in it I saw something that I hadn't seen in a while.

It was same kindness and warmth that had once been in my mother's eyes.

Hyuga weren't NOT kind, but it rarely showed in the white almost soulless eyes of the Byakugan. Despite this, Hinata eyes radiated the kindness present within my mom.

I felt a warmth spread through me as I looked down at her. A warmth I hadn't felt her since my Mother's death. I could feel a smile uncurl on my face.

'_I would do anything for this child.' _I realized.

I had promised to never die for another person again. Yet, as I looked down into her gentle eyes,

I knew.

I knew that I was doomed to this fate once again.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Hopefully, people like this story. I have most of planned out but if people don't like it I might not finish lmao**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I wished I owned Naruto, but I don't.**

* * *

**THUNK!**

The wood curved under the precise blows of my tenketsu palm strikes. My palms still stopping at the 15th strike.

"Again," Hizashi repeated.

Father had been like this since Mother's death. He pushed me into my training with a gusto our previous training had lacked. I personally thought that seeing me grow stronger was one of the few pleasures my Father has since Mother's death. Or possibly he thought training would keep me too busy to think about life.

If that was the case, he was failing miserably.

Monotonous drills like this gave me time to think as my body went through the motions. My thoughts wandered to a recent realization I had.

I was forgetting memories about my past life.

The signs had always been there. I hadn't remember The Main and Branch families of the Hyuga till prompted. I hadn't remember that Neji's mother had never been mentioned in the anime which had made Mother's death all the more tragic. I was even starting to forget the basic information from my other life like my address, the name of my college, and my roommate's name.

This scared me a great deal when I realized. How could I not fall to the same death as Neji if I didn't have the advantage of foreknowledge? I could prevent Hinata idolizing from Naruto, but this would also prevent Hinata from coming out of her shell and finding true love. How could any responsible older brother do this to his baby sister? As well as this, someone needed to be able save Naruto during his fight with Pein.

No, I decided that I needed a new path. I needed to be strong enough to survive the Juubi hit without injuring Hinata or Naruto I needed to be Kage level by the time I was 18.

I needed strong enough to stand on my own.

"Neji, **FOCUS**!"

I cast my thoughts aside and returned to the task at hand. I pushed more chakra into the palms of my hands and struck the training dummy even harder. Wood splintered with this hit.

"Enough. You've done great, Neji, It's time to head home." Father atoned.

"Thank you, Father." I panted. This had been easier training than usual because there had been no sparring practice. I guess Father felt bad about pushing a 2-year-old so hard. But I could only thank him for giving me the starting steps towards my goal of being strong.

As I panted, I could see Uncle Hiashi come from his side of the Hyuga Compound. Despite not being actually in the Main House, our close ties allowed us to use the Main House training grounds which was located right next to the Hiashi's residence.

"I hope your training is progressing well." Hiashi greeted kindly.

"It is. Neji is getting close to being able to perform 16 palms. He truly is a prodigy." Father chuckled.

'_Was that a flash of frustration I saw on Hiashi's face?' _I questioned. I had yet to see the cruel taskmaster shown on Naruto, but I could already tell Hiashi was disappointed in Hinata's lack of progress in reference to me. Hinata was almost 1 and had yet to start walking and speaking as I had once. I felt bad for setting this expectation on Hinata, but I knew everything would turn out alright in the end.

"Anyways, this isn't why I came here," Hiashi sighed. "Hinata wants Neji."

I perked up at this. Hinata and I had grown close since her birth. Hinata's mother had died only a couple days after Hinata's birth. Hinata's mother had already struggled with illness, and Hinata's birth had pushed her over the edge.

Saying Hiashi had been devastated would be an understatement.

Father and I often spent time at Hiashi's house. In the span of two years, the twin brothers had both become single fathers and lost one of their closest friends. They relied on each other a great deal to get themselves through this hard time. I would often spend time with Hinata as the two brothers conversed.

Hiashi shot a glance at my Father that I probably wasn't supposed to see.

'_Oh, they need to talk about something important.' _I realized.

"I'll go check on Hinata-hime right now." I said as I sprinted away from the two brothers.

I quickly ran towards Hiashi's house and towards Hinata's room while simultaneously kicking off my shoes. There was a loud crying emanating from Hinata's room. I stepped in and the sound immediately ceased as Hinata looked up as me.

At 8 months old, Hinata was, in my humble opinion, the cutest baby around. Her chubby cheeks were already starting to be framed by her signature haircut. Her eyes still shone with the kindness that she had birth.

"Hey don't cry, little sister." I cooed at her as I picked her up. "Your big brother Neji is here,".

I smiled as she leaned into me and made a happy noise. Her familiar eyes, so similar to my mother's, looked up at me. I ran a hand through her hair and began to rock her.

_You're best the mistake, I could ever make._

* * *

My Father and Uncle didn't come back for another 30 minutes. By that time, Hinata had already fallen asleep. Father and Uncle peered through the doorway of Hinata's room.

"Neji, it's time to go." Father's tone left little room for argument. I silently obeyed as I gently set Hinata down and made my way towards the door. I looked up at Father, but he refused to make eye contact with me or Hiashi. Hiashi was oddly stone faced.

Without saying goodbye to his brother, Father took my hand and briskly walked me out of the Main House compound.

'_I wonder what's wrong?' _I couldn't help but wonder. '_We usually stay for dinner.'_

As soon as we stepped outside of Hiashi's house, any façade of normality dropped from my Father. His shoulder visibly sagged, and I could see a light sheen of sweat on Father's brow. He quickly wiped it away, but it gave me the chance to see his curse seal. The area around his curse seal was red and bloated. Now that I looked closer, I could just make out the faintest red in his usually immaculate milky eyes.

_Did Uncle really use the curse seal on Father? Why?_

As if seeing the questions in my eyes, Father feebly smiled at me.

"I'm alright, Neji. Your Uncle and I just had a little argument," Father explained to me. I looked at him suspiciously.

No "little argument" would cause Hiashi to use the curse seal. No, they must have been arguing about clan politics. But my Father had been largely passive in terms of Main and Branch family arguments. Father wouldn't argue unless it was about something personal.

Something like me.

The look of irritation Hiashi sent me earlier made a little more sense in reference to this. What could of I have possibly done that had caused this argument.

I looked up at Father again. He looked lost in his thoughts as we walked back to our home. He hardly payed attention to me as I looked up at him. He looked more stressed then I had ever seen him. Hizashi had always made a point to seem strong around me, but right now I could see the man underneath. A man who had lost his wife and wished so desperately for his son to succeed.

We were standing outside of our house. He suddenly looked down at me. He opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped suddenly.

Many emotions passed through his face at that moment. Pride. Anger. Grief. Resignation. Defiance. Sadness.

With this last emotion, his eyes welled up with tears. He picked me up and hugged me softly.

"I'm so sorry, Neji. If I had been born only a couple second faster. You would be the best heir to the clan. You wouldn't have to carry the weight of being a Branch member." He sobbed. I stiffened under him. _That's what this is about._

After Mother had died, it had been a horrible feeling to realize that Father would die a similar way by sacrificing himself to preserve the peace. Sometimes it made me so angry that I would want to bang my hands against walls and scream. I wanted to scream at the Hyuga Clan Elders for pressuring Hizashi to take his brother's place. I wanted to scream at Kumo for being so unreasonable as to demand someone life for THEIR mistake. But most importantly, I wanted to scream at my father for being so selfish and leaving me alone.

I looked as this crying man in front of me, and I felt none of this anger.

"It's alright, Father." I said softly.

It really wasn't.

* * *

As time passed, Father continued to get punished through his curse mark. It became clear to me too what he was getting punished for.

I was progressing too fast, and I had caught the eyes of Hyuga Elders. They wanted me to receive the curse mark sooner then Neji had received it compared to canon. Father refused and was punished.

He would often leave during the night to speak with the elders and come back clearly showing that he had been punished. His hair which usually hung neatly at the side of his face had loose hairs sticking out from the ends. He walked with a noticeable limp. And his eyes. His eyes were so tired.

He would always do his best to smile at me as he got home. He would run his hands through his hair to straighten it out and try his best not to limp.

When he would come home like this, I would often run him a bath and help him undress, He would stumble into the bath and close his eyes. The curse mark wasn't supposed to be used this often on an individual. It was starting to take its toll on Hizashi.

"Father, you don't need to do this. Please let me just take the Curse Mark." I pleaded to him from above the bath.

"There is no need Neji-kun. I can take this. Believe in your Father." He replied.

He opened one eye and looked at me. He smiled fondly at me.

"Please, Father. Just left me help!"

"Neji, **ENOUGH!**" My Father shouted at me. "I refuse to argue this."

I glared at him from my position. How he could he be so selfish? How he could make such sacrifices for me but refuse to let me help. I didn't need these extra years without the curse seal; I had lived an entire life without one.

Father saw my angry expression and began to chuckle.

"You look like your mother." Father chuckled.

I stiffened at this. Mother had already sacrificed herself for me. I had no idea if Neji's Mother had died in a similar way in canon. Father was receiving more punishment then he had received canon because I was different from canon Neji.

I had wanted to become strong so I wouldn't have to die for other people. I had thought that would also include stopping people sacrificing themselves for me. But maybe, it meant the opposite.

* * *

More time had passed allowing for Hinata to grow older. By the time she was two, she was walking and speaking. Unsurprisingly, her first word had been a distorted "Neji".

Being able to walk meant Hiashi expected her to train and spar with me. This made no one happy. Hinata hated taijutsu practice. I hated having to hit my younger sister. Hiashi hated the difference in skill I had compared to Hinata despite being only 1 year older than her. The difference in skill made Hizashi hate the Main Family for the limitations they would set on my life for being a Branch Member.

This led to the current situation.

Hinata ran at me and quickly began to trying to hit me with her palms. Using my Byakugan, I could easily see Hizashi and Hiashi sitting along the sides of the room. Their white hakumas contrasted with the dark brown wooden tiling of the floor. Hiashi had a frown as he watched Hinata tried to strike me. This frown had been a permanent feature on Hiashi's face since Hinata had started training. Next to him, Father had the look of pride that he often had when he watched me train.

I easily dodged most of Hinata's blows and deflected them with my own hits. I couldn't help but notice how slow they were and hesitated with each blow. I gave her encouraging smile. But internally, I frowned. _Why is she going so slow? I know she can do better than this. _Her feet moved in a left and right motion like the awkward sway of a Freshman at their first dance. Her strikes were also inches away from even attempting to hit any of my tenketsu.

Deciding this was enough, I sweeped her legs and allowed her to fall the ground. I held one against her chest and one to her throat. I had won. But, why didn't it feel like I hadn't?

"Hinata! What was your first mistake?" Hiashi bellowed.

Hinata looked down and twiddled with her fingers. She had started doing this recently, a nervous tick that happened when her father yelled at her.

"I-I don't know, Father." Hinata stuttered.

"You focused too much on you strikes, you didn't pay attention to your legs. Neji was able to easily disarm you because of this. As well as this, you didn't even commit to your strikes. You hesitated and your strikes became slower and imprecise." Hiashi sighed. Hinata looked stricken at this and tears began to well in her eyes.

"Alright we're done for today. Good job, Neji. Hinata, you still have ways to go. You, and Neji may leave the room for now. I need to speak with Hizashi."

We both bowed and hurried outside of the room. The sliding doors shut behind us with a loud **_THUD_**. Hinata sat down dejectedly on the steps outside. The tears that had welled up in her eyes now begin freely flow, each tear a blue stardrop of discord.

"Hinata's what's wrong?" I kneeled next to her. I put my hand on her shoulder and she leaned into my palm.

"I-I-I…. don't like… to practice taijutsu." Hinata stuttered out as she continued to cry.

"What do you mean, Hinata? I know it may seem tough now, but you'll get stronger with time." I probed her gently.

"Sometimes I wish I could switch places with you Big Brother. You're so strong and talented. I know Father only thinks of how good you are and how bad I am when we spar." Hinata confessed.

I frowned at her. "Hinata, all people start at different places in life. I started out being better at taijutsu, but I know if you continue to practice, the gap will narrow with time. Besides, Hinata you need to give yourself more credit. There are things your better at then even me."

"Like what?" Hinata questioned disbelievingly.

"Your kindness, Hinata. I know you hesitate in our spars because you don't want to hurt me. There are little these eyes don't see. Especially. when it comes to you." I said looked down into her widening eyes

"When I look at you, I see my kind little sister who is strong enough to care about others even when berated for her hesitation. My younger sister that I would do anything for." I said kindly.

Happy tears welled up in her eyes as I said this, and she leaned onto my shoulder.

As she did this, white crystals began to fall from the heavens. The first drops of snow signaling the start of Winter

We sat there for what like forever and watched it snow. A sister and brother had never felt more at peace in each other's company.

"C'mon." I said as her peeled her off my shoulder. "I'll show you what my Father taught me about Shinobi snowball fighting."

We ran away and went to go enjoy the snow as all children should.

This would end up being the last Winter we would get to enjoy before my Father's death.

* * *

**Authors Notes: Thanks for the reviews everyone. Please keep them coming.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters, but if I did Ashura and Indra wouldn't exist in Shippuden lol**

* * *

The coming winter signaled an important a date in my life. The date Father and I had been dreading. Hinata's third birthday.

We dreaded it for different reasons.

To my father, it was the day that I would receive my clan's curse seal.

For me, it was the signal of my Father's upcoming death to Kumogakure.

The morning before went like any other. I woke up early to go through with morning training with Father. Father was oddly quiet throughout the whole training session. Besides giving out the occasional pointer, Father didn't say a word about what would happen as if not talking about it would prevent it from happening.

Our training always ended with a sparring match. Usually, Father would always actively talk as we sparred by giving encouragement.

_'I hope he talks during the match. This silence is killing me.' _I thought.

We bowed to each other and performed the Seal of Confrontation to signal the start of the match. Then, we both lowered ourselves into the basic stance of Hyuga taijutsu. With our arms out and facing each other, we looked like mirror images of each other albeit me being a significantly smaller version of him.

A second passed as we just looked at each other.

Then, he blinked.

_This is my chance! _I ran towards him with arms raised and activated my Byakugan as I ran. I leapt at him with my palms aimed towards straight towards his face. He easily batted my palms aside without even having to activate his Byakugan.

I landed on the ground and, without pausing, tried to strike his torso. Again, he batted away my palms. Our palms collided with flashes of azure as they struck each other.

I made no headway for the next ten minutes, but Father still refused to speak regarding pointers. It was honestly starting to really get annoying.

Finally, I had to break the silence.

"Today is Hinata's birthday, right?" I questioned despite fully knowing the answer.

"Hmm, I think your right." Hizashi grunted as he batted my palms away easily.

"Father, does the process of getting the seal hurt?" I asked.

"No, the process is rather painless. It's what comes afterwards that I'm afraid of" Hiashi sighed. He said the second sentence so quietly that if I hadn't been so close due to sparring I might not have heard of him.

"What Father?" I probed. I aimed a sweep at his legs, but he easily jumped away. I ran towards him again, intent on landing a hit on him.

"It's nothing Neji. Just remember, starting tomorrow, you live to serve the Main Family. Your life will change more then you realize." I could see it almost physically pained Father to say this as he dodged my strikes.

"It's fine, Father. I already wanted to protect Hinata as an older brother. But now, I can officially do that as a Branch member." I said trying to make him feel better.

"I guess you're right." Father said, but it was pretty obvious he didn't believe me. As he said this, Father swept aside my hands with one of his own. With his other hand, he shoved me on the ground.

I laid there on the floor for a second. _Father really wasn't holding back today. _With a groan, I pushed myself off the floor.

"C'mon Neji, it's time to start preparing for Hinata's birthday." Father said exiting towards the door.

"Okay, Father. I'll be right there!" I scrambled towards the door and went to go ready.

_I hope this day goes better than I think it will._

* * *

With our formal kimonos officially washed and dried, our present ready to be given, and my Father's tears ready to be shed.

I wasn't kidding about the last part.

Despite being a shinobi, Anbu nonetheless, Father tended to wear his heart on his sleeves at least around me. The exact opposite of his twin brother; Hiashi tended to stoic even in the most emotional situations.

While we prepared, the almost somber silence that had been embedded in our training remained. Fathers eyes shone with tears ready to be shed. I tried to talk to him several times, but it was clean that he was in no mood for talking.

As we walked away from our house, I couldn't help but notice how the streets that lined the Hyuga Compound were uncharacteristically busy as all clan members were going to the same place. The Main Family Housing District.

I also couldn't help but notice all the parents and children that looked us. Parents and young children walking hand in hand with parents looking somber and children being unaware of what would happen soon, how their lives will change.

I didn't have such luxury.

Finally, we made it to the courtyard of the Hiashi's house. The grounds were swarmed with Hyuga clan members most of who I had never met. Hiashi stood in the center of this large crowd of people. He was scanning the crowd as if looking for someone. Then when he finally seeing us, he grabbed Hinata by the hand and began to walk briskly towards him.

"Hiashi-sama and Lady Hinata." Father said as he bowed stiffly. I quickly followed suit.

"Lord Hiashi and Lady Hinata." I bowed, but made sure to wink at Hinata as I said "Lady Hinata".

Hinata visibly blushed as I said this while Hiashi just looked irritated.

"Hizashi, you said there wouldn't be any incidents today." Hiashi said quietly. It seemed like he didn't want anyone to hear.

"No, Lord Hiashi. I will keep myself in check." Father replied coolly.

"Good. This means we can start." With these words, Hiashi grabbed mine and Hinata's hand and pulled us away. '_WHAT!' _I screamed internally. The talking around us of clan members ended as they saw Hiashi take me to the center of the courtyard. Hiashi looked around the courtyard making note of everyone there, finally his eyes stopped on Hinata.

"We have come here to celebrate the third birthday of my daughter, Hinata. Her third birthday marks an important date for the clan. Today, Hinata truly becomes the heir to the clan." Hinata looked extremely nervous as Hiashi said this. I looked over at her and tried to send her reassuring smile.

"But that's not just why today is important for this clan. It a tradition that on the third birthday of the heir of the clan the bonds between Main and Branch families between strengthened. Today our bonds are strengthened through a seal that represents not just devotion but also sacrifice." He looked over at me. "Please step forward, Neji."

I complied, and Hiashi stepped in front of me. He looked down at me and indescribable expression was on his face. There was an emotion behind his usual stoicism, one I couldn't place. He looked back at the crowd.

"No one embodies commitment to the Main Family as much as young Neji here. From the start of his life, Neji was raised along side my daughter. He cared for her as if they were truly siblings. I know Neji is willing to do anything for her as any Branch Member should." He suddenly looked down at me again.

"Neji, do you accept the Caged Bird Seal and the responsibilities of a Branch Member. The responsibilities of living for The Main Family and doing your best to serve and protect them. Even be willing to die for them." Hiashi said.

I looked over at Father. He looked back at me. His eyes apologized silently to me. I tried to make my eyes tell him that it wasn't his fault.

My mind went to all the times that I had seen the Main Branch use the Curse Seal to bully Father including his own brother. How he had tried so desperately to make sure that I didn't get it early. The sacrifices Father had made for me.

"Yes, Lord Hiashi. It would be my honor."

With these words, Hiashi placed one palm on my head and the seal was placed. I could feel the subtle influence of the seal's chakra working its way down my body until finally it was one with me. Hiashi placed one hand on my shoulder and turned back to the crowd.

"Neji has accepted his seal proving the strength between Main and Branch families. I now request that all unsealed Branch children come up to receive the seal like Neji has. Please a form a line." With this, there was a large amount of shuffling as parents brought their children up. Some of the children were still babies.

I suddenly felt very sick. None of these children knew what they were accepting. I doubt any of them had seen the curse mark being used unlike myself.

I looked over Hinata. Her eyes were extremely widened as she gazed at this. Like me, Hinata had witnessed the use of the Curse mark. She looked back at me and up at my curse mark. Her eyes swelled with tears. _I'm sorry_ they seem to say.

I smiled back at her.

_It's alright, Hinata_

_It's alright, Father_

In the end, it really wasn't.

* * *

My new Curse Mark signaled a shift in the relationship between Hinata and I. We still loved each other as siblings. No, it was our public personas that had shifted.

I hadn't realized it, but there was a reason we had been raised so close that wasn't just because of our familial relationship. I was being trained to become Hinata's bodyguard much similar as my Father had been for his brother. I had no doubt that if we had been the same age that they would have tried to put us on the same genin team.

The training for this position meant that I got to spend more time with Hinata. I was fine with the increased amount of time I was spending with Hinata. It was just more time I got to spend with my sister, more time to look after her. The fact that I would have an official title and would be expected to listen to Hinata would change little to me.

Father didn't it see it the same way as me.

"Father, Hinata's really gotten stronger." I noted as we watched Hinata spar with Hiashi. She really had gotten better since I had last seen her. Hiashi had pushed Hinata harder than he ever had now that Hinata was officially heiress. It certainly showed. Her strikes were faster and more precise. She still hesitated before every strike and it weakened her taijutsu considerably.

"Listen, Neji. Is your destiny clear to you? You live now only to protect Lady Hinata and preserve the power of our clan's Main household." Father said dully.

"Yes, Father. I understand." I responded. His eyes shifted to look at me and back towards Hinata. An expression of rage flashed through his eyes as he saw her stumble. Father activated his Byakugan and for a second he seemed prepare to strike.

"A threat!" Hiashi roared as he leaped in front of Hinata. With a simple hand sign, Hiashi activated my father's curse mark.

"AGGGGGGHHH" Father screamed as the curse mark on his forehead glowed a sickly green. He curled into a ball on the ground and began to hold his head.

"FATHER!" I yelled and I knelt down by him as he rolled on the floor in pure agony.

"Take your Father home. I'll forgive the fool this time, but only this time. See that you never forget your destiny." Hiashi said dispassionately. Hiashi turned around and walked away. Hinata simply stared from where she stood and looked close to tears. I looked up from where I was kneeling to her.

"Hinata, it's fine." I sighed. "You should go to home. I'll bring my Father home like Lord Hiashi said."

"I-I can help with moving Uncle Hizashi." Hinata stuttered.

"No, it's fine. I think that might do more harm then help right now. Please just leave." I tried to say this as nicely as possible, but I still internally winced with how bad it sounded.

"O-Okay." Hinata said this and without missing a beat ran out of the room. _I hope she understands that I didn't mean to hurt her._

"C'mon, Father" I said as I tried to help Father on his feet with all the strength of a 4-year-old child. "Everything's going to be alright."

* * *

As soon as we got home, I drew Father a bath and helped him get in. Within seconds, Father melted as he sank beneath the warm water.

I couldn't help but feel guilty as I looked down at my Father's content Face. I highly doubted Father had such a tumultuous relationship with the Main Family in the original story. My presence had lowered his quality of life immensely. Soon Father would die, despite already spending the last several years in pain and agony.

'_I need to do something. ANYTHING' _I couldn't help but think. I still hesitated to even think this.

I had been extremely cautious when I had realized that I been born in Naruto as Neji Hyuga. I knew that by the time I was 18, there would be a great war that I would participate in. I knew I wanted to survive the war unlike canon Neji, but if I effected things too much then I risked destroying the world. I knew there were characters I would have to keep interactions to a bare minimum before Naruto became a genin like Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. There were events that would need to happen like The Uchiha Massacre, Lee defending Team 7 in the forest, Gaara's redemption, The Third Hokage's death, Tsunade becoming Hokage, Sasuke deserting the village, and Naruto and Sasuke saving the world. Logically, I knew that if I wanted things to end up exactly the same my Father needed to die.

But, I really didn't want him to.

In these four years I had been alive, Father had cared for me and raised me. He had sacrificed so much for me. He didn't deserve to die.

I needed to either stop the Kumo Ninja from taking Hinata without killing him or take Hinata's place.

The second option would be a last resort.

I still truly believed to die for another person was a selfish and horrible thing to do. I knew that if I died while trying to save Hinata and Hizashi, then Hizashi would completely break. He lived completely for me. If I died, I doomed Hizashi to a cursed existence.

But not trying and wondering what would of happened would be even worse.

* * *

"Good night, Hinata". I said as I leaned down and kissed her forehead. My increased time with Hinata meant that I got to see her till nighttime. Today, I even got to say goodnight to her.

"Goodnight, Big Brother." Hinata said as she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

As I left her room, I activated my Byakugan. Without pausing as I left the room, I scanned the ceiling behind me. _There it is! _ As I left, the chakra signature of a human could be seen behind the panel. It crept closer and closer to Hinata. Soon, it scooped her up and made it's way towards the door. Right where I was standing. _He's within my field of divination._

I launched myself at him and imagined the 8 Trigrams circle around me.

_2 palms. 4 palms. 8 palms. 16 palms. 32 PALMS! _With this final strike, I sent chakra into his system which would soon disable his movement.

"W-what?" The Kumo Ninja gasped as he stumbled back. Behind his cloth mask, his eyes widened as he looked at me.

'_YES, I got him.'_ I thought triumphantly.

A second passed and the Kumo Ninja erupted into a pile of smoke.

_WHAT? When he did he have time to make a clone?_

I felt a kunai press against my throat as the Kumo Ninja appeared behind me seemingly out of no where.

"Hey, you're pretty good for a brat." His knife pushed a little harder on my throat and I could feel blood begin to trickle.

"But, I'm better." He whispered into my ear.

'_THINK. What do you say? How do I get out of this with everyone alive?' _I thought hysterically.

"P-please let my younger sister go. Take me instead." I pleaded.

"And why would I do that?" He questioned disbelievingly.

"My Byakugan is stronger than hers. You would only stand to benefit." I said desperately hoping that he would believe me.

He eyed me suspiciously from behind me for a couple of seconds. I could only hope that he didn't know about The Caged Bird Seal. I had made sure to keep mine hidden so he wouldn't know.

"Okay."

I felt a pressure on my neck and soon everything turned black.

* * *

"Neji! Neji! **NEJI!" **A familiar voice shouted at me as they shook me.

"W-what? Who?" I said peering up at a familiar face. "Father?"

The familiar face became clearer as they shook me awake. No, Father rarely had such a stern expression.

"Not right, but close." Hiashi said gently. "Now tell me what happened.".

I quickly explained that I had been wishing Hinata good night when an unknown ninja appeared in her room and tried to take her. I attacked him but was easily defeated, and I had to offer myself in exchange for Hinata.

"Speaking of the ninja, where is he?" I asked Hiashi. Hiashi simply pointed and I could see right next to me was the crumpled body of the ninja, My heart quick sunk as I saw this.

"Is he dead?" I asked. Hiashi simply nodded.

'_NO!' _I internally screamed. Grief overwhelmed as I knew what was coming next.

My Father would soon die for The Main Branch.

* * *

It happened only a few days later. As my Father and I walked away from our morning trainings, Father suddenly kneeled and looked me in the eyes.

His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he looked at me. He took a second to just to marvel at my face. His hands caressed my cheeks and made their way to my forehead stopping just above my curse mark. We stared at each other and finally he spoke.

"Neji, my son. The Hyuga bloodline flows stronger in you than any other clan member. I should have been born a few moments earlier to make you heir. I want you to live a long life and be happy. I don't want you to be burdened by this curse mark like I once was." If his words spoke volumes, then his eyes spoke galaxies as he looked at me. So much emotion was in his eyes; I nearly found myself lost in their grey depths.

Fear. Sadness. Regret. Happiness. And so much pride.

"Father, please. Please don't leave me alone. Please don't leave me like Mama." I started to cry. I would miss him so much. How could he leave me alone? How could he be so selfish?

"You know whats going to happen? You've always been too smart for your own good. I would never leave you alone. You'll have your Uncle and Lady Hinata." He brought his hand to my chest over my heart. "I'll always be with you as long as you make sure to remember me."

"How could I every forget you, Father?" I chuckled between sobs.

We embraced crying together.

* * *

Father died the next day.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Thank you everyone for the support I've been receiving. I hope to keep this story going. I know some people seemed a little upset that I mentioned that Hinata's mother had died. Don't worry about what happens to Hanabi, I'll have that resolved soon.**

**Anyways, keep the reviews coming. Reviews really motivate me to write these chapters faster.**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but if I did I probably would of made certain characters like Rock Lee and Neji more prevalent in Shippuden._**

* * *

_Hyuga Hinako_

_Hyuga Hizashi_

My fingers traced the outline of my parent's names on the Memorial Stone. It had been less than a month since Father had died. I had moved in with my Uncle and Hinata, but things weren't the same. I didn't trust Hiashi the same way that I trusted my parents. I couldn't rely on Hinata the same way that I could my parents because I was supposed to be the one that supported her.

I was unbelievably alone.

It was on these days of overwhelmingly loneliness that I came to Memorial Stone so I could be alone with my parents and think about life. It had become such a habit that I had started doing my morning exercises on Training Ground Three which was by the Memorial Stone.

My thoughts wandered from the future to the past. My thoughts wandered to what I should of have done to make things different. Sometimes my thoughts would wander to darker places The worst thoughts wouldn't cease to the point where they were a loud cacophony in my head.

At those times, I would clutch my head and my curse mark would burn without being activated. The questions I couldn't stop asking would ring through my mind.

Why did they think my life was worth was worth more than theirs?

How could they be so selfish?

How could they leave me alone?

Tears would well in my eyes and begin to freely flow. My fists would clench as my vision would begin to blur as overwhelming grief would hit me all at once.

Unlike other days though, I could see someone awkwardly shift from their spot beside me.

_Oh yeah, I'm not here alone today._

I sniffled and awkwardly turned to look at him. Tears and snot lined my face, unfitting the poise of the Hyuga Clan. The eighteen year old looked back awkwardly at me. He looked uncomfortable under my scrutiny.

_I have to ask him. He would know._

"Does it ever get any easier?" I asked him.

His face twisted into shock as I said this. He obviously hadn't expected me to actually talk to let him, let alone break down in front of him. He looked down with pity as he pondered my question.

"Yes." Kakashi lied.

* * *

_I looked down at the picture of Father. Father's face stared back. His face was a little younger than what I was used to. It had none of the wrinkles that had come from the frequent use of his Curse Mark. The dim yellow dull of the candles around the photo seemed to give Father a sickly yellow tint._

_Unlike Mother's funeral, we didn't even have a body. We just had this photo to pay our respects to. Father's sacrifice had prevented war with Kumo, but it would leave him an empty gravestone._

_Sacrifice was an ugly thing._

_Suddenly, I felt hand a hand on my shoulder._

"_What a serious expression for someone so young." An elderly voice said from behind me._

_It was the Sandaime Hokage. I hadn't had much interactions with him. He had stopped by at Hinata's birth, but that was it. This is the first time he had actually spoken me._

"_Your father was a good man. The Will of the Fire burned brightly inside of him." The Sandaime praised._

"_I know." _

_These words won't bring him back. These kinds words won't bring either of them back._

"_Your Father would always speak about you. His perfect son Neji. His little prodigy. He had high hopes for you. The leaders of the Main Branch commented not just on your skill and intelligence, but also your poise and maturity. The perfect representative of the Branch Family. I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be the case." That caught my attention. The Third Hokage chuckled at my surprised look._

"_You're still a young boy, Neji. You stand here now not forming tears because it goes against the image of perfection. Feel free to cry. Feel free to be less than perfect." The Sandaime said softly._

_The Sandaime continued, _"_I know you may feel bitter, maybe even angry, at the sacrifice your father made. But please heed these words. Beneath this great tree we call a village, many plants of different varieties bask in its shade. Under this tree, the plants are able to gain a quality never before seen. The Will of Fire. This power gives the plants the power to not just shine brighter than all others, but also the power of sacrifice. For often the plants that shine the brightest are the ones to go out the first. When this happens, the plants leave behind nutrients allowing for a new generation of plants to grow with the Will of Fire. It is only through the sacrifice of these plants that the Tree is able to stand tall and firm and new life is able to grow. I suspect the meaning of this story may be lost to you, but if your anything like your Father then the meaning will come with time. Goodbye Neji." _

_With these words, The Sandaime turned around and walked away,_

_I knew the meaning of his story. He was trying to say that my Father had sacrificed himself for the next generation, for me. But I didn't see it that way. Yes, the sacrifice would allow for new plants to grow. But these plants would be forced to grow in the remains of their predecessors and know that their predecessors died for them. No plant could grow the same in this condition. The plant will wilt quicker and never be as bright._

_As I looked down at the picture of Father, I knew he wanted me to be happy._

_But how I could do that after what he had done to me._

_He had helped reinforce an important lesson:_

_Sacrifice is pain._

* * *

"You know if you stare any harder, he'll notice." I teased Hinata. Her face immediately turned red as she began to stutter out a response. She seemed almost ready to faint.

I had done my best to boost Hinata's confidence. But Hiashi's harsh training and her heiress status meant she was constantly berated and under on scrutiny. I had taken her to the park to possibly help with this by having her interact with more children her age.

However, Hinata was far to intent to stare at the blonde boy swinging alone on the swing. She had noticed him as soon as we reached the park and hadn't stopped staring at him.

Apparently in this couple of months since my Father's death and the current moment, Hinata's Naruto obsession had started to develop. I had no idea when this had happened because I spent a rather large portion of my day with her, and Hinata rarely left the Hyuga Compound. I had no clue when she would have had the chance to meet him.

It was for this reason that I had finally convinced Hiashi to let me take Hinata to the park. I had rarely gone outside of the Hyuga compound while my Father had been alive. But I was also mentally 18. Hinata needed more interactions with children her own age that weren't me or other members of the Hyuga Clan. I thought Hinata would be happier if she had more friends. Hiashi thought Hinata would be a more suitable heir if she had more confidence and improved her social skills., so he consented.

It was fairly obvious how out of place Hinata and I were when we reached the park. We were dressed in dark kimonos, while the children here were dressed in more casual clothing like shirts and shorts. The children here were running and screaming, while Hinata and I had been drilled to be quiet and stoic from a young age especially when out in public.

Hinata and I stuck out like sore thumbs especially as we stood their staring at the children playing. I had come here expecting to help Hinata socialize but I myself had no idea regarding how children our age interacted. Hinata didn't seem like she wanted to socialize either. She was fine with just staring at Naruto.

I scanned the playground looking for a suitable playmate for Hinata. Allowing for Hinata to play with Naruto could impact the plot a little too much. No, her ideal playmate would be someone also seeking to be a ninja, but also someone kind enough to help build up Hinata's confidence. They needed to be a part of a major Clan or Hiashi wouldn't approve of their friendship.

I continued to scan the playground looking at the kids for any notable children. There were several children with dark hair and the Uchiha crest on their clothing. _No, Uchiha children. The Hyuga and Uchiha clan rivalry is much too fierce for Hiashi to approve. Also, most of them will die so Hinata will be too traumatized by their deaths to function the same as canon. _

My gaze fell on a chubby boy and spiky haired kid basking in the shade of a tree._ Choji and Shikamaru were certainly kind kids. As well as this, their clan heirs. But—_ As I looked back at Shikamaru resting under the tree and then to Hinata staring at Naruto, I shuddered. _Shikamaru is much to observant for his own good. He could impact the Naruto and Hinata situation. As well as this, the lazy nature of the Nara may not impress Hiashi._

I shifted my eyes to a quiet boy in sunglasses who was looking at a beetle crawl on a leaf. Soon, he was interrupted by a boy with red facial tattoos who ran to him causing the beetle to fly away. The sunglasses boy looked up at that other boy and scowled. _Hinata's future teammates may be a good option. However, Shino may be too quiet for Hinata. Kiba— _Kiba began to pick his nose. He took out a booger and stuck it in his mouth. _—I don't think Kiba would be good either._

Finally, my eyes landed on the perfect targets.

"Hinata," I alerted her. She reluctantly drew her eyes off Naruto and looked to me.

"Yes, Neji?" She asked.

"How about you go introduce yourself to those two girls over. They seem nice." I said pointing to Ino and Sakura. I knew those two would become fangirls once they got into the academy. But, Ino had been a strong outgoing role model to Sakura which had allowed Sakura to feel more confident. I was hoping Ino could do the same for Hinata. As well this, Ino was the heir to the Yamanaka Clan which meant Hiashi would approve of their friendship. Maybe Hinata's kind nature would also help Sakura and Ino remain friends.

"W—What?" Hinata squeaked.

I shoved in her the direction of the two girls and Hinata awkwardly stumbled towards them. The two girls looked up at Hinata from their spot next to the flowers. Hinata awkwardly played with her fingers as she began to speak to the two girls.

"Hello," Hinata said awkwardly bowing to them. "My name is Hinata Hyuga. I was wondering if I could join you two?"

"Sure!" Ino chirped pulling the shy Hyuga heiress down next to Sakura. "My name is Ino Yamanaka. This is my friend Sakura Haruno. We were picking flowers. By the way, I love your kimono. Father doesn't let me take mine out because it would get dirty."

"T—thank you." Hinata said seemingly dazed with how good this was going. She shot me a scared look, and I grinned back at her. Seemingly unaware of our interaction, Ino began extensively explaining to Hinata the distinction between different species of flowers.

My job being complete, I went to go find the nearest bench to go sit down and read. Soon, I found the nearest bench and pulled out the small book I had been carrying. A book on charka natures that I had found in Hiashi's shelves. I pulled it open to the page I was on and started reading.

_As mentioned in the previous chapter, Chakra Natures are separated into five basic forms: Fire, Water, Lightning, Earth, and Water. Everyone's chakra has affinity towards at least one nature meaning that they will struggle significantly less when learning this nature. In this chapter, we will discuss what happens when someone has the affinities for two different natures. A form of kekkei genkai or kekkei tota, combined nature transformation serve as—_

"That's a nice book. The author explains the basics of chakra nature well. However, I found that he got a little vague on the inherent differences between natures themselves. For example, in what way does fire nature flow differently in the body compared to water nature." Someone said quietly as they sat down next to me.

Irritably, I looked up from my book. And there he was:

Itachi Uchiha

Itachi couldn't be older then 8, but he already had his shinobi headband. He wore a rather a mature expression for someone so young. These all combined to give him a comical contrast of someone so young yet so mature.

I smiled at him, but internally I began panicking. _Itachi Uchiha, the clan killer, the ultimate spy, future member of the Akatsuki, the kid willing to sacrifice everything for his village and Sasuke. What do I do? Would it pay to befriend him, or would that effect the plot too much?_

"I saw what you did for your younger sister. Why did you push her to play when you sit here refusing to play?" Itachi questioned me. _Is there a hidden meaning to this question?_ I looked closer at Itachi and his expression seemed earnest enough. I had little clue what I had done to warrant his curiosity. But I needed to answer before he became to suspicious.

"I'm different from my imouto. I'm different from most kids my age. These eyes have seen too much to be really considered childlike. But it's not just that." I hesitated. "I love my younger sister more than anyone else in this entire world. I don't believe in the power of sacrifice, but I would sacrifice anything for her. I need to be strong not just for myself, but for her. Giving up having time to play is a part of the sacrifices I have made for her." I said solemnly.

"You would give up so much for her?" Itachi questioned me. His eyes shone with a understanding that most children lacked at his age. He already knew my answer before I replied.

"I would give up everything to keep her safe."

* * *

"_Honorable Councilman Danzo-sama" I praised as I bowed to the bandaged man in front of me._

_Imagine my surprise as one day after training as I was approached by two men wearing cloaks and Anbu masks. Without a word, they grabbed me and whisked me away to a darkly lit room in an unknown location. At the center of the room was a single chair in which a bandaged older man sat._

_Danzo simply lifted one eyebrow as he looked at my disheveled state._

"_You know who I am?" Danzo said seemingly surprised._

"_Father once taught me about notable shinobi. You're a council member greatly respected by the Hokage and Konoha. As well as this, your shinobi skills are notable enough that you were considered to be the Hokage on multiple occasions." _

'_Lay the flattery on thick, Neji. DO NOT get Danzo as an enemy.' _

"_It makes sense. Your father was a smart man. A great man actually. He loss will be felt by Konoha." Danzo praised._

"_You knew my Father?" I couldn't help but ask._

"_Yes, I knew your father. I went on several missions with him. He was a strong shinobi devoted to his village and his clan. However, it was his clan that held back his progress. It was his clan that ended up killing him." He smiled at me and his one eye looked into the depths of my soul._

"_**Don't make the same mistake, Neji."**_

"_I'm offering you the chance to break away from the bonds of your clan. These bonds will stifle your progress and prevent you from growing strong. Do you wish to suffer the same fate as your father? Sacrificing yourself for a Clan that will punish you for your progress? If not, I have an offer. Join my organization." Danzo proclaimed._

_Danzo continued, "My organization is a top secret group of Anbu that work behind the scenes of Konoha. We keep Konoha safe from threats that the Hokage cannot publicly act on. We work in the shadows, and we train in the shadows. We would you keep safe from the manipulations of the Main Branch. You would never have to sacrifice yourself for them like your Father You would also never have to worry about your strength being hindered through their interference."_

"_You're offering me a life without sacrifice?" I said disbelievingly._

"_Any sacrifice you would make would be of your own volition." Danzo nodded._

_The offer was surprisingly tempting. In the original story, Root had most likely performed countless atrocities for Danzo. But they had been unemotional robots like Sai. I highly doubted they would be able to get me to that point at least not for a while. And maybe not feeling something for once would be good. It would also be a good way in getting stronger than Neji had been in canon. And according to Danzo, I wouldn't be expected to sacrifice myself for anyone as well. It seemed like a good deal. Too good of a deal._

"_What do you get out of this?" I couldn't help but ask._

"_I get your loyalty, Neji. That's all I can ask for." Danzo replied._

_Damn, he's smooth._

_I wanted to say yes. But, I couldn't. Not now._

"_I'm honored by your request Lord Danzo." I bowed. "But—"_

"_But what?" Danzo inquired. I worded my next few words carefully. _

"_I cannot abandon my younger sister like this. She needs me, and I need her. I appreciate your request, and I would open to maybe one day collaborating in the future. But, not right now." _

"_Okay." Danzo looked oddly pleased despite being soundly rejected._

"_My Anbu will escort you back to your Clan Compound. Remember, do not talk about the events of today."  
Two Anbu grabbed each of my arms and my surroundings begin to blur. Before I knew it, I was standing alone in front of Hiashis's house._

_Why did I feel like I just made a deal with the devil?_

* * *

Surprisingly, I ended up spending the next hour and a half talking to Itachi. Talking to Itachi was nice because it didn't come with the same condescension that came with talking to adults, and I didn't have to dumb myself down like when I talked with children. I think Itachi was pleasantly surprised in my depth of knowledge as well. Our range of discussion ranged from the differences between the Sharingan and the Byakugan, clan politics, and the differences between our younger siblings. Speaking of his younger sibling,

"Aniki! You said you would play with me, but you spent the whole time talking to this kid." Sasuke said as he glared at me.

Internally, I flinched at Sasuke's glare. Sasuke was on my list of characters that I couldn't talk to before the Chunin Exams. I had already indirectly broken the rule by having Hinata become friends with Sakura. Now, I was breaking the second rule by being in Sasuke's crosshairs.

"Otouto, don't be rude." Itachi admonished. "It's time for us to get going. It was a pleasure talking to you, Neji-san. I would be happy to talk to you more about chakra theory and doujutsu if you have the chance."

_Is that an invitation?_

"I train on the Third Training Ground near the Memorial stone every day from 7 am to 10 am." I replied.

_If it wasn't, I just made it one._

Itachi nodded and took Sasuke's hand and began to walk away. I watched the fan symbol on their back grow smaller and smaller as they walked away from the park.

"Big Brother, what are you watching?" Hinata said curiously appearing out of nowhere.

"Oh, nothing. Did you have fun?" I said dodging her question.

"Y-yes, I did. Ino and Sakura were both very nice. Ino said she would contact Father about playing again." Hinata said rather shyly. "I think I made friends."

I remembered Itachi's back as it had slowly slinked away with Sasuke.

"I think I did too."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Thank you again for the reviews. I hope people liked this chapter. I was trying to experiment more with using flashbacks.**

**Now a reply poised to a specific review from reviewer Indra Senin. I hope this chapter achieved some of the change in plot you were hoping for. Or you can at least see where this is leading to. Your comment made me take a good look at my story and wonder if I was sticking too closely to the plot. This is still the start of the story so right now I'm just trying to develop Neji's outlook on life. Expect there to be some significant plot deviations in the future and some slight deviations as well.**

**As mentioned earlier, reviews keep this story going. I'm going to start trying to release every Friday or Saturday and not releasing twice on the same week so I can stay more ahead on posting.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or it's characters or I wouldn't be wasting money on student loans.**

* * *

I was right that Hiashi would approve of my choice for Hinata's friends.

However, he hadn't agreed with my choice for my own

"You are not to speak with that boy more than necessary." Hiashi commanded sternly. I stared up at in shock. I knew that the Uchiha and Hyuga Clan rivalry existed, but I hadn't realized it would be this bad.

"But, why Uncle? I think that a friendship with Itachi would be beneficiary for my skills as Hinata's bodyguard." I argued.

"It is not just the Uchiha clan rivalry that provides my hesitation. I fear the association with the Uchiha Clan will reflect poorly on the Hyuga Clan as a whole." Hiashi sighed.

My eyes widened with realization. _Konoha is beginning to think the Uchiha_ _Clan is responsible is for the Kyuubi attack. What do I do? _

A large part of me wanted to be friends with Itachi. He was the first friend that I had made in this life. My mental age meant that I would never really fit in with people roughly my own age. My conversation with Itachi had sparked a hope that I wouldn't have to wait years for me to truly have friends. But was it worth risking the wrath of my Clan?

Probably not.

"Okay, Uncle. I understand." I consented. Hiashi nodded in approval at my obedience. His expression spoke of the thoughts '_What a Good Branch Member'. _

If only he knew.

"Alright, Neji. I consented to you taking out Hinata to mingle. I expect you to train extra hard today with Hinata." Hiashi commanded.

"Yes, Uncle."

* * *

_**Thunk!**_

_**Thunk!**_

_**Thunk!**_

Each kunai I had thrown landed in the center of the targets like I had attended. My 4 years of constant practice were starting to pay off. This was usually the time I would practice sparring with Father. But I couldn't do that now.

It had been less than a day since Hiashi's command to stay away from Itachi. I wonder if Itachi had gotten a similar warning from his father. Maybe I wouldn't even see him despite telling him when and where I trained.

"Hello, Neji."

Itachi was a suddenly behind me without warning.

_I guess not._

Apparently, I was too lost in thought to notice Itachi's approach despite my 360 degree vision granted by the Bykaugan.

"Hello." I grunted without turning to look at him. My next kunai landed a little away from the center.

"My Uncle doesn't want me speaking to you." I told Itachi without looking at him.

"Oh." Itachi replied looking a little sad.

His next words caught me by surprise.

"But, what do you want?"

I froze at this. I thought Itachi would understand being that he was the son of his Clan Head. But apparently that wasn't enough for him.

"It doesn't matter what I want." I hesitated. "As a member of the Branch Family of the Hyuga Clan, I'm expected to listen to the orders of the Main Family and make the necessary sacrifices."

"But I can tell you don't believe that." Itachi reasoned with me.

"Why are you pursuing this so much?" I said angrily. I turned back and glared at him. He stared back at me nonplussed.

"Because someone taught me the importance of bonds." Itachi replied.

His eyes that were staring at me began to swirl and turn a bright crimson. Red eyes stared back at me daring me to question Itachi.

'_The Sharingan! _I couldn't help but stare fascinated. I had never seen them this close before.

I felt like there was something important I was missing. The significance of Itachi showing me these eyes.

_Oh._

The Sharingan was only activated through traumatic experiences. If I remembered correctly, Itachi's had been activated through the death of his genin teammates at the hands of Obito. Itachi had just become friends with his teammwates as well. Itachi's eyes were still in the first stage with a single tomoe, which meant that it must have activated fairly recently

"Yes." Itachi nodded at my expression. "I knew you would understand."

"I understand about your eyes." I said slowly. "But how does that involve me?".

"Your eyes." He noted. "They're like mine. Not the sharingan, but the knowledge that came with them. You've lost someone recently too. I suspect that's not where are similarities end. I bet you've come to question this violent world we live in. I bet you don't trust the Clan as your other Clan members. I bet you don't feel comfortable with people your age. I also bet there is someone that you would sacrifice anything for. Am I wrong?"

I stared at this 8-year-old incredulously. This kid was merely 8, but he had dissected me near perfectly with a single glance. Itachi was no simple prodigy. His eyes spoke of a wisdom that didn't just come with with a fast mind. No, his eyes were similar to mine in which his mental age and experiences didn't match his body.

I also couldn't deny that there wasn't a truth to what he was saying either. Our first conversation had been pleasant enough to make me realize I had missed having friends. This conversation now revealed that there was a connection between us. A connection I couldn't deny.

_I know I'm probably going to regret this._

"Fine." I sighed finally agreeing. "But, we can't be caught together or The Main Family will have my head."

Itachi looked extremely relieved that I had finally agreed. A tension that was within him was finally released at my words. Perhaps at the end of the day, Itachi was just an 8-year-old that was anxious about rejection. I honestly now felt a little bad about rejecting him at first.

"Okay." Itachi nodded.

Itachi grabbed my hand, and our surroundings began to swirl as Itachi performed a Body Flicker without hand signs. The light green grass of Training Ground Three was replaced with darker green moss and even darker surroundings. Around us, giant trees loomed expanding in the clear signs of a forest.

"Training Ground Forty-Four: The Forest of Death" Itachi said as he saw my questioning my glance. "The edge of this forest lays close enough to reach here with the use of shunshin. This forest is largely unused besides as the occasional training exercise or Chunin Exams."

"You took us to an abandoned forest filled with deadly creatures and plants for us to build our friendship?" I said in skepticism.

"Yes."

The amusement in his eyes were clear despite his stoic response.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. _I guess this is how shinobi bond. Secrets, training and life threatening circumstances._

"Okay, but if we are meeting here. You're going to have to teach me the Body Flicker. I also need a new sparring partner, so I guess you'll have to do that too." I huffed.

Getting rid of all pretenses of stoicism, Itachi smirked at me.

"I'll teach you more than the Body Flicker."

* * *

The next hour of training went about as well as one might of thought. Itachi was truly a prodigy in every sense of word. Itachi was only 8, only less than 4 years older than me, but the gap between our abilities was almost unfathomable.

I knew I was a prodigy in my own right. I may have the mind of an 18-year-old, but Neji's 4-year-old brain thought faster than my previous brain. His body reacted better to its commands. And his eyes were able to discern details farther better than my previous. In this life, I had devoted a majority of my time building up not just my knowledge but also my body. This aided by the previous experiences from my last life gave me a unique advantage that others didn't have. I had no doubt that I would be able to graduate early in the Academy if I wanted to.

Despite my own gifts, Itachi's natural talent far exceeded my own. He was the second youngest graduate in Konoha's history, and the reasons for it showed. Itachi picked apart my taijutsu which I prided myself on for being excellent for my age. His eyes even without the Sharingan were able to note that I favored palm strikes over kicks, a common trait of beginner Gentle Fist practitioners. He had been disappointed to find out that the only jutsu I knew were the Basic Three from the Academy, jutsu which my father had demonstrated to me only a couple of times before his passing. It took most academy students years to learn these techniques. It was honestly amazing that I could do them at all.

In all intents and purposes, Itachi had looked at my skills which far exceeded other 4-year olds and had found them to be a single word: _lacking._

Also, please don't get me started on what bullshit the Sharingan was.

The only time I had managed to almost land a hit on Itachi, it had been a slight brush of my hand on his arm. For a juken user this hit is usually enough for their opponent's arm to be temporarily disabled. But, Itachi, being the prodigy he is, saw my attack coming and reacted. Itachi performed a body replacement to himself with himself and log before the chakra from the juken strike was able to reach his arms.

Itachi took my glancing blow as a reason to for himself to increase the difficulty of the spar. Without a word, he activated his Sharingan and began his assault. Previously, by pushing my body to its limits through chakra enhancement I had been at least able to defend myself from his blows. But now, I received one of the worst ass-kickings of my life. Itachi mercilessly tore apart my taijutsu, and I could only watch because my body was too slow to react. Itachi seemingly knew my moves before I did and punished me for every attempt to fight back. He ended our spar with a single blow to the chest that toppled me to the ground.

I laid an exhausted heap after being knock on the ground by Itachi. Itachi stood over me wearing the same smirk that he had earlier. I glared up at him, and he chuckled. Soon, I found myself laughing too.

_God, how long had it been since I had laughed like this?_

I brushed the dirt off my clothes, and I stood up. I looked up past the trees and at the sun. It had been early morning when I hard started training today. The peak of the sun suggested that it was getting close for time for me to leave.

"It's time for me to leave." I told the older boy. He nodded noting the time as well.

"It's time for me to leave as well. I never got the chance to teach you the Shunshin however." Itachi said dismayed.

"Don't worry about it." I assured him. "We'll worry about that later."

Itachi looked relieved that there would be a later again revealing his age.

"Okay, I won't be able to do this every day because of missions and responsibilities to my clan. I'll meet you on Training Ground Three again at the same time." The dark-haired boy said to me.

He grabbed me gently by the side of my shirt. With a cloud of smoke, our surroundings began to change as Itachi shunshined me away from the Forest of Death. Soon, I was back at of Training Grounds Three infront of the training dummies that were still embedded with my kunai.

"Thanks—" I turned around to tell Itachi.

Itachi was already gone.

* * *

I had hoped the walk home would be uneventful. I had enough brewing on my mind with my new friendship with Itachi. Sadly, I was mistaken.

On my way back to the Hyuga Compound, I was stopped by a familiar pair of masked shinobi.

"Danzo-sama wishes to speak with you." One of them said.

"Okay?" I said trying to hide my shock. _I already told him I wasn't interested. What would he want?_

They took my hesitant response as a go ahead. For a third time that day, I was brought somewhere by a shunshin. The familiar cloud of smoke signaled a shift in my surroundings.

It was a different room then I had been previously brought to. While the last room had been dark and ominous, this room was decorated in an almost cozy fashion. Sunlight beamed into the room through the open windows casting light inside and leaving little out of view. At the center of the room, was a single table with two chairs directly facing each other. Danzo sat at one end simply sipping a cup of tea.

"Neji-kun, please sit down." Danzo requested between a sip. Not wishing to anger the man, I made my way towards the seat and sat down.

"Thank you for having me Danzo-sama. If I may inquire what was the reason for having me come here?" I said while bowing.

"Straight to business? I often find this younger generation to be lacking in patience. Please wait a moment and enjoy your tea. I assume you must be tired from training with Itachi." Danzo chuckled. A Root agent quickly appeared out of no where and poured me a cup of tea. Tentatively, I took a sip.

'_How does he know about training with Itachi? It literally just happened' _I thought a little surprised.

"Don't worry about your clan noticing. I won't tell anyone, and I doubt anyone else was watching." Danzo assured. He took another sip of tea and he began speaking again. "But I didn't come here to talk about that. I came here to talk about you. Have you thought about my offer?"

"Yes, Lord Danzo. I'm afraid my answer still remains the same. My duty to my sister remains my main objective." I answered. On the inside, I was wincing. Danzo had all the power here. He already had a position of power in the village. Now, he had the secret of Itachi and I.

"Hmm. I will admit that I'm little disappointed but that was also what I was expecting." Danzo stated. He learned in a little closer and looked at me expressionlessly.

"Now tell me Neji what are your beliefs on the Will of Fire?".

I stared at him for a second. I hadn't expected him to ask this. I struggled to find the right words to appease him. These words couldn't just be faked. Danzo was a master of deception. It needed to be something that appeased him, but still conveyed some of my true feelings regarding The Will of Fire.

"The Sandaime Hokage once described The Will of Fire to me as the willingness of people of this village to sacrifice their lives for the next generation of Konoha." I began. "I think in the ideal world there would be no sacrifice, no one should have to sacrifice themselves like my Father once had. It's for this reason that I can say that I'm not sure whether or not I agree with it." I didn't, but Danzo didn't need to know that.

"Hmm, I see that Hiruzen shared with you his interpretation of the Will of Fire. My interpretation is a little different." Danzo said finally setting down his tea. "The Will of Fire is a willingness to protect the village no matter what the case. A willingness to devote not just your life, but your heart and soul as well. The village itself isn't the people inside of it. No, the village is an ideal. An ideal that we should strive to protect by all means necessary." His one eye looked at me, the casualness of drinking tea now gone.

"Neji, I tell you this because I don't expect you regurgitate other's meaning of the Will of Fire. I expect you to one day have your own definition. Your own reason to fight and die for this village. To help you make your own, I want you to meet with me every week from now on." _Wait, what? "_I'll provide you readings to help facilitate your development of your philosophy."

My confusion must have shown on my face. Danzo smiled down on me with almost grandfatherly expression. It seemed almost wrong on his face. The grandfather appeal was The Third Hokage's persona, not Danzo's. I knew the darkness what lied beneath that fake smile.

"I do this because I have a vested interest in you, Neji. I see a little bit of myself in you, and I want to make sure it blossoms into a great shinobi like I know it can be. Like I know you can be." Danzo praised. "That was enough discussion for now, I shall bring you back to you Clan compound. I shall make the necessary arrangements for our discussions."

"Thank you Lord Danzo. I am honored by your investment in my future." I bowed and stood. Around me, I could see Root agents start to move as they sensed our discussion was over. They appeared on either side of me, and I left the room in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

"I see your back." Hiashi stated as I dragged myself back into his house. It seemed like he had been expecting me with the way he had been waiting by the door. He looked up and down at me and simply sighed.

I must have looked like a mess. I hadn't gotten a chance to change since sparring with Itachi, and I was mentally exhausted after my meeting with Danzo.

"Danzo informed me that you will be meeting him starting next week. The material he wants you to read is by your bed." He looked down at me seemingly troubled. "Please be careful, Neji. Lord Danzo is not one to be taken lightly."

"I understand, Uncle." I promised. I probably knew better than anyone else what Danzo was capable of. Getting his attention at such a young age was troubling to say the least.

"Good. You can skip training with Hinata today. Go to you room and rest." Hiashi informed me.

I gratefully thanked him and headed to my room. As soon as the door shut behind me, I fell onto the bed and slammed my head into the pillow. My curse mark ached as my thoughts began to race through my head as I looked back at recent events.

I had forced Hinata to become friends with Sakura and Ino.

I had interacted with Sasuke and Kakashi on different occasions,

I had become friends with Itachi.

I had interested Danzo enough that he wanted to meet me with every week.

My original plan had been simple. I just didn't want to die for another person. I had wanted to be stronger than Neji had been canon. I wanted to survive the Juubi attack and the 4th Great Shinobi War. This meant that I would stick relatively close to canon, with the main difference being that I would be stronger than Neji had been.

Yet, without meaning to, I had found myself making slight differences. It was these slight differences that could end up killing me at 18 or possibly before that.

The smart idea would be to plan. To try to control the changes that I would make. I should know what changes I should make and which I shouldn't.

Except, I couldn't. Not really.

I already established I was losing my memories. To be able to plan what would happen next would necessitate me writing everything down somewhere. Except, I couldn't do that. I lived in the housing district of a Clan that could literally see through the walls. What if Hiashi or any other clan member found it? Anyone else knowing this information would be disastrous. It was also likely I was being monitored by Danzo. Danzo having any information regarding the future could destroy the entire Elemental Nations.

No, any sort of written document would be a poor idea.

Unless, I was able to effectively hide it without detection from outside sources. Which would probably require a proficiency in fuinjutsu.

Which was strictly forbidden for the Branch Family.

If I wanted to learn fuinjutsu, I wouldn't be able to just ask for a teacher or get a book from Hiashi or the library. My best chance was to focus on situations that would happen soon, and do my best not to change upcoming events. Something, I had proved to be relatively bad at.

I sunk my head deeper into my pillow and nearly screamed.

_Why did everything have to be so complicated?_

* * *

**Author's Note: Oi, another chapter done. I feel like the early childhood friendship with Itachi and or Shisui tends to be overused in SI Fics of Naruto. I couldn't find myself resisting the trope though. The only thing really important thing that had happens before Naruto becomes a genin in Konoha is the Uchiha massacre. I also found that the Itachi fit the themes of my story a little too well to pass up.**

**Response to a review from Ashborn2271: I understand your thought process when saying how you think Neji should react to being here. However, some important facts I would like to point out. At this point of the story, Neji is still 4. There is little he could do at this moment to effect Hyuga Clan politics. Neji also is already starting to develop a slight defeatist outlook. I don't think Neji would run away either for these same reasons. He also wouldn't run away because he is still much too devoted to Hinata to abandon her. Neji is also showed interested in fuinjutsu in this chapter so I hope this helps some of your concerns.**

** Please follow and or favorite if you haven't already. **

**Also reviews keeps this story going, so please review! If you don't have anything to say, you can answer this question:**

**What was your favorite Naruto opening, and why?**

**I thought "Go!" and "Seishun Kyousoukyoko" had some of the catchiest music. But "Lines" in Shippuden made me slightly emotional because I'm an over invested dork. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't THINK I own Naruto or its characters. If I do please consider this fanfiction canon.**

* * *

Danzo's "assigned readings" ended up being a mix of Konoha propaganda and the ramblings of militaristic philosophers.

_Very subtle, Danzo._

Danzo was pleased that I did the readings. But repeating variations of these philosophies was never enough to satisfy Danzo. No, Danzo wanted something more. Danzo wanted a commitment I lacked. He refused to let these "lessons' end until I came up with something that I truly believed in.

Danzo's lessons weren't always just that though. Danzo did something that I wasn't expecting.

Danzo tried to become my friend.

Sometimes, he would ask me how my training was going. I would always try to downplay my skills, but the looks Danzo gave me usually conveyed his disbelief in my statements. He was also interested in Itachi's skills. I was even more tightlipped regarding these. Sometimes, he even provided helpful suggestions on areas of focus for my training.

Other times, Danzo would tell me stories. The stories would range from topic to topic. Some days, he would talk about his experiences with the Second Hokage. He would explain how much he respected the man and how much he wanted to do that man justice. Other times, he would tell me about some of the missions he performed with my parents. He would mention his childhood rivalry with the Third Hokage or tell other stories about notable shinobi like the Sannin or The White Fang.

He would ask me about the progress my younger sister was making and would make sure to mention how archaic he thought the process of Caged Bird Seal was. This was very ironic coming from the man who had cursed seals on his entire organization Anbu. I never told him that I saw through his bullshit, however.

If his attempts of friendship bothered me, it bothered Itachi even more.

"What could be his intent at doing this?" Itachi said worriedly. "He was never this insistent with Shisui or I. He didn't take this approach either. No, he was much more… Direct."

"Maybe, that's why." I noted. "If his attempts didn't work for you or Shisui, maybe he decided to change his method if he sees me as a valuable piece on the board."

"But that still doesn't make sense." Itachi said with his eyebrow furrowed. "It doesn't feel like he wants you to be a regular operative. It's almost as if he's grooming you for something while also trying to get you to be fond of him. It's a different kind of loyalty he wants from you then of unquestioning Shinobi and Leader. He wants a more personal loyalty."

We ended up getting off that line of thinking. As long as I made sure to know Danzo's malicious intent then his machinations wouldn't work on me. Instead, we needed to train. I told Itachi of my goal of being a S-ranked by the time I was 18. Itachi promised to help me with my goal.

Training with Itachi was intense. Our first training session hadn't been an outlier. No, Itachi was a hard taskmaster that expected perfection from me. In the short time since we had started training together, my skills increased in leaps and bounds.

I was pushed to my limits as I struggled to keep up with the Uchiha prodigy. I needed to be faster to dodge Itachi's hits. I needed to be stronger to break Itachi's guard. I needed to think more efficiently to surprise him.

It wasn't just training for me either. Over the course of the weeks, Itachi used me as training for his Sharingan. When we had started, Itachi had merely a single tomoe in both of his eyes. During our training, he always had his Sharingan active and used it to give corrections and throw the occasional genjutsu on me.

Now only after a couple of weeks of training, Itachi's Sharingan had fully developed to have three tomoes.

The development of Sharingan also signaled a significant increase in his skill. One time during his match I was able to see his eyes develop. Midway into a punch, Itachi blinked and there was another tomoe in his eyes. The trajectory of his punch shifted as first it aimed for my face like I had been hoping for. I had been planning to redirect his punch into a throw, but then the punch became faster as it aimed for the arm I planned to throw him with. Soon, I cradled my arm as I leaped back to survive the sudden increase in Itachi's speed.

The power of the Sharingan was truly frightening.

And utter bullshit.

My Byakugan was certainly useful. Instead of the Sharingan's raw combative ability, the Bykaugan had greater versatility, provided more information on the battlefield and wasted less chakra. Yet, I admit I sometimes grew a little jealous of the almost exponential growth the Sharingan provided.

It was after are harsh training sessions we would both lay exhausted on the forest floor. I would be exhausted from attempting to defend Itachi's harsh assault. Itachi would be tired because the chakra drain from his Sharingan left him tired.

We would talk in length about nothing and everything. Our lives. Our siblings. Our plans for the future.

"I just want to survive past the age of 18." I told him. Itachi looked at with clear surprise in his expression. But, I wasn't done.

"Not just that," I added as an afterthought. "I would hate to die sacrificing myself for something or someone."

"But you said you would sacrifice anything for your sister." Itachi questioned while frowning at me. I wasn't really surprised at his discontent at my answer. Itachi had been the perfect image of sacrifice in the original story. I could tell he was already shaping up to be something similar now.

"I would." I said instantly. "That's why it's my dream to survive without it. I would in an instant die for my younger sister. I'm weak in that way. I always will be weak in that way, and I hate myself for that."

"But that isn't weakness!" Itachi protested. His voice reached a higher pitch then I was used to. He turned to me with his eyes a fiery red with his Sharingan active. He slammed his firsts on the ground. "The sacrifice your describing is strength. To put your own needs before others is too easy. To put another's life above your own is the hardest thing one can do. It requires a strength most people lack!"

I stayed silent for a second. I was hoping we wouldn't argue about this. Itachi and I clicked on a variety of levels. But I don't think we could ever agree on this. Maybe if I tried to explain my opinion, he would at least acknowledge my opinion is valid.

"I don't see it like that." I brushed aside the bangs on my face to show my curse mark to Itachi. "I assume you know of the Hyuga Clan's practice of branding their Branch Members with this Curse Mark. Through this Curse Mark, the Main Family is able to exercise control on their Branch Members because this mark can send excruciating pain into every nerve of a Branch Member's body. This mark symbolizes what sacrifice means to me." Itachi slowly nodded without saying word oddly quiet after his outburst. His eyes shone with a soft sympathy as he looked at my curse mark.

"Sacrifice is pain. Not just on the who makes sacrifices, but the ones around them."

Itachi stiffened at these words as they left my lips.

I paused and took a deep breath. I had never expounded on these feelings beyond my own thoughts. It felt sort of relieving to finally be able to put words to these feelings Yet, it also brought back painful memories and feelings.

"When I was merely 1, I was forced to watch my own Mother sacrifice herself for me during the Kyuubi attack. My beautiful, kind mother died slowly and painfully, and I watched the life leave her body. It should have been fine, I still had my Father. Except, that wasn't case." I began.

I continued, "My Father was tortured nearly every day through this mark by the Main Family for the last year of his life. He was tortured because the Clan Elders heard of my prodigious skills, and they wanted me to receive the Caged Bird Seal. My Father refused, and he was punished. Due to this sacrifice, my Father lived in unbearable pain that left him a near broken man. I was forced to watch his sacrifice and bear the burden of knowing that his pain was my fault."

My fists left indents in the soft grass as I thought about his life and death.

"My Father ended up having to sacrifice himself for the Main Branch to prevent war with Kumogakure. Kumo requested the death of the ninja that had killed one of their shinobi, my Uncle. My Father being his identical twin brother sacrificed himself for his brother and to prevent war. My Father is now dead, and he left me alone with not even his body at his memorial service. My Father lived a life of pain because of sacrifice and left me and others sad and broken because of his sacrifice. He proved to me that sacrifice is not just pain on one's self, but the others around you." I left out a bitter laugh. "Despite all of this, I still find myself willingly walking towards the same fate. This is why I think I'm weak."

Itachi stayed silent for the longest moment, and for a second I was afraid I had overshared. How would someone who believed full hardly in the power of sacrifice react to finding out his friend believed the exact opposite. Would it be with anger? Or possibly disgust?

"I understand." Itachi said.

I turned my head to look at him caught by surprise by the older boy's words.

_What?_

"I don't agree with you, but I understand why you would think that." Itachi clarified. "I hope to one day prove you wrong through my own dream."

I perked my ears at this. I didn't actually know about Itachi's goals in his life. In the main series, he had died in service for Konoha and Sasuke. I doubted that had been his dream in life.

"My goal is to become Hokage, to end the cycle of violence."

_WHAT?_

"With the power as the Hokage, I would be able to restore confidence in my clan to the rest of the village. Then I would hope to create an era of peace for the rest of Elemental Nations and end the cycle of violence. No one would have to sacrifice themselves like your Father. I would bear the burden of sacrifice alone as the Hokage. I am willing to bear all the hatred of others. This is my dream." Itachi's voice held a passion that it usually lacked when talking about being a shinobi. I had thought being a shinobi was merely a matter of circumstance for Itachi. I see now that this wasn't necessarily true.

Hearing his impassioned speech for a second I could almost believe it was possible. Itachi had the passion and drive. But, he didn't know what I knew. Itachi was doomed to die for his younger brother in his early twenties. He would die being thought of as a traitor despite all of his sacrifices for the village and Sasuke.

"That's a nice dream." I said softly.

But in the end, that's all it was.

A dream.

* * *

My friendship with Shisui came about as fast and sudden as the shunshin he was famous for.

Of course, Itachi had mentioned Shisui in passing before. How could he not? Shisui was one of Itachi's few friends. Shisui was also another Uchiha Clan prodigy. A shared sense of responsibility forced on them by their clans had allowed for them to grow closer.

But I hadn't expected to meet him so soon after becoming friends with Itachi.

It was a regular day of training for Itachi and I. By regular day, I mean I would attempt to survive Itachi's onslaught of attacks while Itachi uses me as a guinea pig to test out new jutsu or new ideas for combat.

Itachi rushed at me with a kunai within a single hand. I stood firm meeting his assault head on. I held my own kunai up as our knifes collided with a fury of sparks.

Itachi flipped back and as he did his hands began to perform the seals.

Seal. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

My eyes widened as I recognized the jutsu Itachi was performing. I hurriedly began to perform the seals for my own jutsu.

Tiger. Boar. Ox. Dog. Snake.

Within seconds, a log appeared where I had once stood. The log crackled as a fireball larger than my body engulfed its form.

I sighed in relief. Itachi had shot the fireball at a speed that he knew wouldn't hit me. But being inches away from death when sparring was still something I needed to get used to.

Itachi dashed at me again attempting to use my moment of relief as the time necessary to take me down. I narrowly ducked his first blow, a punch aimed at my head. I slid into my Juken stance began aiming for his now exposed torso. As if predicting my movements, Itachi backflipped away and the heel of his foot slammed into my chin as he did. His kick sent me flying several feet away, and I landed on the forest floor with a soft thud.

I pushed myself off the ground with a silent groan. I had yet to be able to land a decisive blow on Itachi, and I was hoping today would be the day. I needed something that would surprise Itachi. Something he wouldn't expect. _That's it! _My hands quickly began forming the sign of the jutsu I had been attempting to learn these past months.

Itachi's eye widened as he realized the jutsu I was attempting.

"Neji, don't-" He began.

My surroundings began to blur to fade as my movements sped up due to the Shushin. The Shushin itself was a basic technique. It was a simple D ranked jutsu that most Shinobi could perform for quick transportation. Yet, the jutsu became exponentially more difficult when you performed it during battle. Using it in battle required an extreme awareness of your surroundings as well as enough to control to be able to stop your speed at such a short distance. This didn't stop me from trying it.

My fist collided with a tree nearly 10 feet from where Itachi stood. I shook my hand with a pained gasp. _Ouch! _Still this was a lot closer than I had been the last several tries.

Suddenly, a figure breached the vision of my Bykaugan.

"Hey, Itachi-chan." Shisui yelled to us from his place on one of the trees above us. He looked down at me. "Is this the friend you were talking about? You didn't tell me he was a Hyuga brat."

I bristled at the words "Hyuga Brat". Itachi bristled at being called "Itachi-chan_.

Still completely ignoring our reactions, he peered even closer at me noting the indent on the tree that my fist left. "He seems pretty good for his age. But, it looks like he needs to work on his Shunshin."

"Yes." Itachi said bluntly.

He jumped down from the trees with a flip and landed right next to me. He was a full head taller then me. He was definitely taller than Itachi as well. Shisui looked to be about 10. He had a mischievous look on his face and an almost cocky grin. He reached out his hand for me to shake it.

"My name's Shisui Uchiha. I'm Itachi's cousin. Itachi's mentioned you so I thought I would stop by to finally meet you." He said. I reached out and shook his hand. I internally winced because my hand was still sore from hitting the tree.

"My name is Neji Hyuga. Nice to meet you to. Itachi has mentioned you as well." I greeted him while bowing. Shisui lightly chuckled at the formal manner I introduced myself.

"Hmm, he has?" Shisui questioned. "Has he also mentioned that he hasn't beat me in any of our last few spars?"

"No… I mean that's not the case... It just never- "Itachi protested. His face was a shade of red that I had rarely seen on him. _Is Itachi embarrassed? _

"Hmm, I didn't think so." Shisui laughed. "Anyways, I can give you some pointers on the shushin if you want. I'm considered to be decent at it myself."

Who was I to say no from learning the Shushin from Shushin no Shisui?

"Sure." I agreed easily.

And that's how met I Shisui.

* * *

My meeting with Shisui ended up being the first of many. Shisui ended up joining Itachi and I for training in the mornings whenever he had the chance. To say Shisui changed our group dynamic would be an understatement.

Shisui was the opposite of me. I was fine with the occasional silence with Itachi, Shisui loved to talk and filled the usual silence with needless chattering. Despite our differences of mental and physical age, I always made sure to treat Itachi as an equal, and Itachi did vice versa. Shisui loved to point out that he was the oldest and treat Itachi and I as children. But most importantly, I disagreed with Itachi's conception of sacrifice while Shisui actively encouraged it.

But this was also why we loved having Shisui around.

Shisui's loud personality kept Itachi and I from spiraling into a line of dark thinking are more somber personalities were prone too. Shisui treated us like children because he wanted to give us some vestiges of a normal childhood that he himself had missed. Shisui was willing to encourage Itachi to follow his dreams which made Itachi happier about his own future.

Shisui also improved the efficiency of our training. Unlike myself, Shisui was able to push Itachi during their spars. Sparring between Itachi had been more for my benefit then Itachi's because he was so much above my level.

Shisui's initial claim that he was leading in terms of wins wasn't just a meaningless boast. No, Shisui was outright a better shinobi then Itachi due to his more experience. Often Itachi would have to rely on trickery and cunning to even have a chance at beating Shisui. Itachi was pushed in a way that he had never been when training with me.

As for my training, Shisui did me a favor. Shisui, much like Itachi, had been unable to help me in terms of learning fuinjutsu. My search for fuinjutsu instruction had reached a dead end.

I think Shisui saw that I had been a little upset when I realized this. So, he offered to teach me something else.

Nature Transformation.

Nature Transformation was a considered a jonin level technique with most jonin being able to manipulate at least two different elements. This is why it had took all the way until midway into Naruto Shippuden that Naruto had started to learn how manipulate wind chakra. However, both Itachi and Shisui were able manipulate 3 elemental natures due to their assistance from their Sharingan.

Yeah, the Sharingan was bullshit.

But it wasn't just an issue of having Sharingan. Both Itachi and Shisui knew fire manipulation before they even unlocked their sharingans. In the original story, Sasuke had also been able to perform fire jutsu before he was a genin. So had Kakashi. Elemental ninjutsu was almost a rite of passage for prodigies.

It was with this realization that I started my training in elemental manipulation with a fiery gusto. Neji had never shown the ability to manipulate elemental chakra in the original story. Yet, he had made jonin. It was likely that he had the ability to, but never choose to use it due to his focus on the Juken and the Hyuga family expectataions.

Nature transformation wasn't strictly forbidden for a Hyuga to learn, but using it was considered to be a slight taboo for clan members because the Hyuga tended to think the Juken as the perfect offence and defense. To use anything else would be seen as admitting that their taijutsu style was anything less than perfect.

I had no such qualms of realizing the imperfection of the Gentle Fist. Neji had devoted himself solely to the development to his Gentle Fist in the story, and for this reason, among others, he had been weak enough to die. I needed to know more ninjutsu to be an all-around better shinobi then canon Neji.

My training had begun with Shisui testing my chakra nature. He brought chakra paper and told me to focus chakra into it.

I eagerly snatched the paper from his hand and did as he told me.

I didn't really know what nature I was hoping for. Fire nature would probably end up being the easiest to learn from Shisui and Itachi because they were both naturally Fire Natures. Kakashi and A had also proved the offensive capabilities of being a Lightning Nature. Naruto and Temari has also proved the raw destructive power of being a Wind nature. Any of these natures would be cool and flashy.

'_I don't want to get my hopes but any of those three would be cool' _I thought as I focused chakra into the paper_. _

The paper immediately turned soaking wet in my palm.

I tried to hide my disappointment, but I think my discontent showed on my face.

Shisui must of noticed this because he told me gently, "Hey, don't worry about your nature Neji. Water may not always be as flashy, but water is one of the most versatile elements. You can also learn a second element different later if you ever need to.

I shook my head and tried to think positive. Shisui was right. The show hadn't showed a lot of water natured Ninja, but Kisame and Mei had both been badass water style users. Water was also naturally stronger than fire, which was the preferred jutsu style of Madara and Obito. Water could be the most useful elemental if I had ever had to fight those two.

"Anyways, I don't actually know much about water style. I tend to use Fire, Lightning and Wind style jutsu. But, I can show you the basics of nature transformation." Shisui said breaking my chain of thought. "Itachi knows some water style jutsu as well, he might be able to help you better then I can."

Shisui told me to sit down as he gave me explanation. He looked down at me and put on a serious expression that he usually lacked.

"Nature transformation is a little different from other jutsu. Usually a jutsu just requires hand seals. Chakra is created at the core of your body when combining your spiritual and physical energy. The hand seals cause chakra to interact with certain chakra points throughout your body by traveling through your chakra coils." Shisui explained.

"Now Neji, activate your Bykaugan" Shisui commanded. I complied. I could see the large pool of his chakra begin to swirl as Shisui begin to focus his chakra. "Look at my chakra closely.".

Shisui began to perform hand signs. His hands blurred at he as began to make signs at speeds that I could barely make out. They were the familiar signs of the Great Fireball technique.

Snake. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

As he did this, I watched the chakra beside him begin to move and flow through his chakra. Except, something was different in his chakra. It was a small difference that I had noticed when sparring with Itachi, but I had thought little of at the time.

His chakra almost moved rhythmically as the element it was becoming. It flickered almost like the flame of the candle.

The chakra finally reached his mouth, and he brought a fist up to his mouth as a fireball larger than my entire body left his mouth.

"I assume you saw what changed in my chakra as I performed my nature transformation. I molded my chakra to match its own element. For me, fire feels like the flickering of a life akin to a heartbeat. This is the heart of nature transformation. The use of shape transformation in your chakra to a consistency that better matches your jutsu style. " Shisui instructed. I was amazed at how well Shisui taught this, I knew he was a prodigy, but he rarely explained things as eloquently as this.

"I can only assume that for water that it follows a similar thought process. You have to make your chakra flow like water. Yeah… So make your chakra _flowy." _Shisui flushed as he said the word "flowy". I couldn't help but almost as laugh as he said the word. Shisui sometimes could be the perfect mix of genius and idiocrasy. He looked almost embarrassed as he realized his own mistake.

"Oi, stop laughing gaki. I think that I explained that rather well." Shisui huffed. "Anyways, focus on being able to transform your chakra into water and then we will try to get you a jutsu that goes a long with it."

After Shisui's impromptu lesson on Nature Transformations, I was ready to begin my own attempts at Nature Transformation. Nature Transformation ended up being a harder than I expected. It's one thing to know how my chakra should be, but to actually transform it to flow like water was harder then one might think especially considering that I was naturally a water nature meaning that theoretically my nature should find it easier to get into the form. I also prided myself on my chakra control; I had been training it nearly every since before I could walk.

"You're trying too hard." Shisui pointed at as he noted the irritation on my face from where him and Itachi were sparring.

"What do you mean by that?" I questioned him a little crossly. How could I be trying too hard? Shouldn't I be concentrating to try to get my chakra the way I want?

"You have to remember that you're naturally a water nature. Your chakra is already much closer to being a liquid then other people's chakra. It naturally wants to be water. By attempting to force your chakra into water, you make the molding of your chakra unnatural and less inclined to change into its preferred nature. Don't force your chakra to change, you have to guide it gently." Shisui elaborated.

Itachi simply nodded from his spot next to Shisui.

'_Shisui's words must be right.' _I thought. I breathed in slowly and closed my eyes. I began to lightly focus on my chakra_. _I tugged on it ever so slightly and gently guided into being a liquid. My chakra responded to my suggestion and for a second I could feel it. It felt like my chakra was heavier and moving. It was fast paced, almost like a river.

But as quickly as it came, the chakra turned back to its regular form.

I opened my eyes and looked back at Shisui's and Itachi's expectant faces.

"I had it for a second." I admitted. "I lost it though. But your tip really helped. Thank you Shisui."

"Your welcome." Shisui grinned at me. "Now while you practice getting that down how about you watch me kick Itachi's ass."

* * *

My breakthrough with water chakra ended up being what I needed to make progress. Of the course of weeks, I was slowly able to improve to the point where I could actually sustain the water transformation. Over all this time, Shisui continued to give me helpful pointers while he sparred with Itachi.

Our training wasn't just limited to this. Itachi and I still had our talks except now Shisui joined us for them.

I had mentioned earlier that Shisui had changed the group dynamic, but he ended up not changing much about Itachi's and I's conversations. Our discussions on anything related to the Shinobi lifestyle was aided by his experiences. In our conversations about siblings, Shisui freely admitted that he saw Itachi and Sasuke as almost younger siblings. He had started seeing me as one too.

The conversation he had changed the most was our conversations regarding sacrifice. Itachi had been rather calm on hearing about my idea's on sacrifice and how they had been somewhat shaped by my parent's death. When Shisui heard about my curse mark and my Father's sacrifice, Shisui wasn't calm.

No, Shisui was furious.

He had been furious at my Clan for punishing and sacrificing my Father. He was also furious at this world for causing this to happen.

Shisui's opinion was a breath of fresh air after nearly everyone, including even Itachi, had applauded my Father for his sacrifice.

But Shisui also agreed with Itachi's ideas of sacrifice and dreams of becoming the Hokage to end cycle of violence. Shisui had served in Konoha's last war, and had watched one of his best friends die in front of him. Shisui believed in fighting to maintain peace and being willing to sacrifice yourself to stop stuff like this.

Shisui was almost the perfect middle ground between Itachi's and I's opinion.

Slowly, Shisui joined Itachi in the small list of people that I would call precious. The people that would I selfishly sacrifice anything for.

Which is why I refused to let them sacrifice themselves for this village.

* * *

**Author's Notes: This is the longest chapter I've ever written. I hope you like it.**

**Reply to Reviews:****  
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**Ashborn2271: Does the branding of the Branch Family stop by the Boruto era? I've done some research on it, and it seems like that its not ****explicitly**** stated. However, I've been led to believe that it at least seems like they stopped using The Caged Bird Seal because they didn't brand the Himawari. I also believe Hiashi told reanimated Hizashi that the Hyuga family had changed. I like to think that this is one of those changes. This is the approach I take when writing Neji, he has at least a similar belief. So I guess Neji is a little less concerned regarding the fate of the Branch Family. I hope that helps.**

**Carrenho96: I honestly think Danzo's freetime comes from him not being an active ninja. He has Root Anbu performing missions for him meaning he never has to leave the village. He has ****responsibilities**** as a member of the Konoha Council as well. But I assume he has time for ****at least**** a couple hours a week. Also Danzo thinks in terms of long terms goals, although these discussions with Neji may seem pointless now, it may help Danzo later. Regarding your boogeyman thing, I sorta wanna try to get away from that in this story.**

**Please leave a review because reviews keep this story going. If you don't have anything, you could answer this question:  
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**What character you wish had more focus on in Naruto?**

**As this fanfic makes obvious, I liked Neji. I think Neji and Rock Lee should have been made more prevalent in Shippuden. They both reflected themes of hard work and fate that I think the original Naruto featured greatly.**

** I also would of liked more stuff with Sai. I know Sai isn't really liked by certain people. but I thought he had so much potential. But, he was almost pushed into a secondary role towards the end of the story. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or it's characters, or I think I would of left Madara as the main antagonist.**

* * *

_**Ox. Snake. Ram.**_

My hands clumsily formed the hand signs for the jutsu I wanted to perform. As if my own chakra sensed my own hesitation, instead of a think mist leaving my mouth, instead I began coughing out water.

_**HAAAAACK!**_

I clutched my own chest as I fell to the ground. How could I mess this up! I've been able to perform this jutsu for months. I angrily spat out more water as I glared at the offending liquid.

Water style users were able to create water jutsu through two methods.

The first method was the easiest and allowed for weaker shinobi to create stronger ninjutsu. By injecting chakra into an outside source of water one wouldn't have to worry about actually transforming your chakra into water and could waste less chakra. This method due to the lack of chakra use associated with the actual nature transformation as well as having access to more water, allowed for shinobi to create stronger techniques.

The second method was the method I was attempting. This method was the method used mostly by the other elements especially fire and thunder. Instead of making use of an outside source, one would convert their chakra into the element and release it from their body. This tended to use more chakra then the first method, but it didn't rely on access from an outside source making it more versatile.

I had been mostly practicing the second method in these several months since Shisui had taught me how to perform Nature Transformation. Our training area in the Forest of Death lacked a nearby water source so knowing how to do the second method was almost essential when performing water jutsu here. As well as this, Mei Terumi had used this method to stop Madara's fire attacks and if I wanted that proficiency then I needed to start training now.

I had grown proficient in it enough to cast low level water jutsu like Water Style: Hiding in the Mist Technique jutsu. The jutsu I had been attempting to perform right now.

But today was different.

Today I was more aware of my own weakness than ever. It was starting to affect my ninjutsu.

I soon finished vomiting water, but I couldn't find the motivation to get myself off the ground. My fists clenched the grass and my Curse Mark ached as my own weakness became even more apparent to me.

"Oi, gaki. Your hand signs were clumsy. That was a beginner mistake." Shisui said waling right next to me. Despite his jibs, I could tell Shisui was worried. His red eyes had already focused on my fists clenched against the grass.

"I'm fine." I weakly reassured him. I pushed myself off the ground and sat up and looked at Shisui.

He didn't seem that reassured despite my protests. It was just Shisui and I today. Itachi had a mission and was out of the village this week.

Shisui deactivated his sharingan, and his eyes flickered to my forehead where my curse mark lay.

I hadn't realized it, but I had started to absentmindedly rub my curse mark whenever my curse mark ached like this. My curse mark tended to ache when I got very upset about certain topics like myself or my own weakness involving sacrifice. I had little idea why it ached at these times.

"Did something happen with your Clan?" Shisui pressed. "You can't deny something is wrong. You've had that jutsu down for months."

What is it with the Uchiha being so insistent?

"I said I'm fine!" I snapped at him. Shisui eyed me with disbelief. For a second, he even looked hurt at my harsh tone.

"Fine." Shisui said, his voice clipped. "If you really feel that way, then no need to explain."

Shisui turned his back to get back to training, and I felt a little guilty. Shisui had been trying to help me, and I had yelled at him for it. Itachi, Shisui and I shared nearly everything with each other as well.

Well, nearly everything. I couldn't exactly tell him about my reincarnation, and they were both rather tight-lipped about the Uchiha politics.

"Wait."

I reached out and grabbed his shoulder. He looked back at me expectantly.

"I was being a little unfair." I admitted. "The truth is…."

"The truth is my Uncle used the Curse Seal on me for the first time yesterday."

* * *

_Hinata panted as I closed in on her. She weakly put her hands up in the basic stance of the Gentle Fist, but her exhaustion was evident. Her eyes flickered to the guest in the room._

_Grandfather had shown up to our practice without warning or reason. He had silently slid the door open as Hinata and I performed the Seal of Confrontation._

_Hinata and I both paused as we saw him enter, both of us unsure of what to do. Hiashi began to bow to his own father, and Hinata and I soon followed suit._

_Despite this man being our Grandfather, he was rather absent in Hinata's and I's lives. Grandfather was the former leader of the Clan and was now an Honorable Elder of the Hyuga Clan. I suspected that there were responsibilities involved with being an Elder of the clan, but I was unsure why these had kept him away from his own family._

_"Father, what brings you over here?" Uncle questioned him._

_"I wish to see the progress of the next heir to the Hyuga Clan." Grandfather replied while eyeing Hinata._

_Hinata had begun to twiddle with her fingers under Grandfather's scrutiny. She refused to meet his gaze, and Grandfather's face deepened into a frown. His eyes moved to look at me._

_"Is it true about Hizashi's son? There has been talk about him being a prodigy comparable to the Uchiha boy." Grandfather questioned Uncle._

_"Yes, Neji had yet to start the academy but he has already mastered the 32 palms and the Academy Basic Three." Hiashi answered._

_Grandfather made an audible inhale as he heard this. His pupil-less eyes bore into me as if searching for something. He looked back at Hinata._

_"What about your daughter?" Grandfather asked. Hiashi hesitated when hearing this. It would be difficult to put a positive twist on Hinata's development in comparison to me. I could only hope that Hiashi would at least attempt to be kind in his phrasings of his words._

_"Hinata has yet to learn the 16 palms. As well as this, Hinata struggles heavily during sparring and often hesitates between blows. However, her private lessons on etiquette and history go well, but she struggles with some of lessons that involve more vocal participation like conversation and negotiation."_

_I actually hadn't known how Hinata's private lessons had been going, but Hiashi's personal assessment seemed to the fit the shy girl that I called a younger sister._

_"Hmmm, that is a little disappointing. Let's see the two spar." Grandfather proclaimed. Hinata and I both bowed to Grandfather and turned to look at each other._

_Hinata looked at me with pure trepidation on her face. Hinata rarely sparred in front of others besides Uncle and me. As well as this, her audience seemed to be a vocal critic of her progress._

_I smiled back at her reassuringly, and I brought up fingers up to the form the Seal of Confrontation. Hinata followed suit, and we bowed to each other._

_We both slid into our stances and activated our Bykaugan as Uncle signaled the start of the match._

_We circled each for what felt like the longest moment._

_Surprisingly, Hinata was the one who took initiative. She ran towards me as if meaning to finish this match off as quick as possible._

_I simply raised my hands and blocked her strikes with strikes of my own. Chakra danced off our fingers as our hands struck each other._

_To an outsider, this may have seemed like an even match. But to Juuken masters like Uncle and Grandfather, the person leading was obvious. Hinata's stance was sloppy and her blows were imprecise. I had been planning to lower my speed and skill to help Hinata look more impressive, but the noticeable sloppiness in her stance was making it hard._

_I pretended to miss a block and left myself open. Hinata needed to at least land a strike to redeem herself in this situation. Hinata rarely performed this awfully, and I could only guess that the extra stress of having Grandfather present was causing the degradation of her skill._

_Hinata saw my opening and her palm drew back prepared to strike me._

_But, then it stopped right before hitting me._

_Hinata hesitated in that moment, and I knew there was little hope of salvaging this situation. There was no way Hinata would be able to gain enough confidence to improve her skill at this moment. She was already starting to look like she was on the verge of a panic attack._

_Increasing my speed slightly, I aimed a non-lethal palm strike at a tenketsu in her torso. Hinata fell over on the floor. She attempted to push herself up, and for a second it looked like she would. All of the exhaustion hit her at once and soon she collapsed on the floor again._

_I gently pried my younger sister off the floor. Tears had already begun in to form her eyes as she contemplated her own failure._

_I brushed my lips softly against her ears as I gently pulled her up._

_"Don't worry, Hinata. You did fine." I whispered to her. She looked at me disbelievingly, but I stood her up. and we formed the Seal of Reconciliation._

_"You were right, Hiashi." Grandfather noted turning to look at Hiashi._

**_"Your daughter is a failure."_**

_Hinata made an audible flinch as Grandfather spoke these words. Hiashi glared her into silence as tears began to flow from her eyes. I frowned and stepped in front of Hinata putting myself between Hinata and Grandfather._

_"You had mentioned she was friends with the Yamanaka Clan Heir and played with her frequently. I recommend decreasing this time and putting more time into her sparring. If she continues at the rate she is now, we may need a new heir." Grandfather continued._

_My blood boiled at these words. How dare he come in here and bring my sister to tears. How dare he now threaten to get rid of my sister's position as the Clan Heir. _

_How dare he call her a failure._

_Soon, I found words leaving my mouth without meaning to._

_"Hinata, is NOT a failure. Hinata will keep her friends and Hinata will become a better Clan Head then you two will ever be!" I hissed at them._

_That was a mistake._

_Fire surged through my blood as I my clutched my forehead. Every nerve in my body blossomed with pain as my Curse Mark activated._

_I curled into a ball on the ground as tears began to freely run down my face. At the back of my head, I could faintly detect Hinata let out a loud gasp as she saw me. But I couldn't bring myself to care. I could only focus on the agony that coursed throughout my entire being._

_Suddenly, the pain was lifted like a spell._

_I looked up, and Uncle looked back at me at regretfully. His fingers were in the familiar hand sign that I had seen him use on my Father many times._

_Hiashi had used my Curse Mark on me._

_His five-year-old Nephew._

_I could only feel the sharp pain of betrayal as I looked at my Uncle. This man was family. I lived with him, and I was supposed to rely on him the same way as a parent. I always thought Uncle had gained some kindness since my Father's death and that he wouldn't treat me the same way as Father. But, apparently I was wrong._

_"Apologize to your Grandfather." Uncle ordered me._

_Shakily, I stood up and dusted off my clothes. I looked over at Grandfather, and he looked back at me with no pity on his face. Instead, Grandfather looked at me expectantly._

_"I'm sorry for my insolence, Honorable Grandfather. I live only to serve the Main Family." I said while bowing to him._

_Inwardly, I screamed at this old man. I begged Uncle to never do that again. I asked them to see the strength in Hinata that I saw._

_Instead, I stayed silent._

_"I would expect nothing less, Neji." Grandfather said condescendingly._

* * *

"I don't want to offend you, but I think I hate your family." Shisui growled. His eyes glowed a dangerous red as the story had upset him enough to activate his Sharingan. "The Uchiha like to joke that the white eyes of the Hyuga are soulless. But this story gives those rumors more credence."

I made an uncommitted grunt at his remark. These were similar thoughts I had when I had seen the expectation in my Grandfather's expression. He had been expecting the torture of a 4-year-old for obedience. I could only imagine that if I hadn't conceded right there they would have activated my Curse Mark again.

"First them ordering you to not see Itachi and now this. You should do something about it. I mean you probably can't do much right now, but with enough planning I'm sure‒" Shisui began.

"No." I said cutting him off. "Fighting to change Main Branch traditions is not something I want to be a part of."

"How can you be so nonchalant about this? How can you sit here and say nothing about this? How can you do nothing about how the Main Family treats you or your fellow Branch Members?" Shisui said disbelievingly.

"Because I'm not like you or Itachi!" I snapped. "I see the faults in my Clan, but I'm unwilling to fight for the change. I'm unwilling to sacrifice myself to improve my Clan. There is only one person in this world I am willing to sacrifice myself for, and I got punished for it. I'm not like you or Itachi. I'm unwilling to sacrifice myself to fix my Clan unless it helps Hinata as well."

**"What do you know about the Uchiha Clan?"** Shisui whispered suddenly right in front of me.

Oh, SHIT.

Shisui's eyes glowed a dangerous red as he stood right in front of me.I had simply blinked and now Shisui was in front of me with a serious expression on his face. He looked at me with a sudden distrust on his face.

'Shit, Shisui and Itachi must be already planning on how to deal with the coup dé tat. I must of revealed more then I attended. ' I realized. 'I need to fix this.'

"W‒what do you mean Shisui?" I said feigning confusion. "I know only what you, Hiashi and Itachi have told me. Hiashi mentioned that being friends with Itachi would reflect poorly on the clan. Itachi mentioned wanting to become Hokage to help boost relations with the Uchiha and Konoha. You both get kind of quiet when talking about the Uchiha clan politics. I can only assume that there is a mutual distrust between the Konoha government and the Uchiha Clan leaders right now and that you and Itachi have long term goals on mending these relations."

All of these statements were factually true. Any person could be able to deduce this given the information. My explanation came out well enough that it probably seemed like I had been thinking about it for a while. I could only hope that Shisui wouldn't be able to see through this lie.

"I'm sorry." Shisui apologized sheepishly while stepping away from me. "Baaaah! All this Clan talk has just put me on edge."

"It's fine." I said quietly. I was just relieved that this had worked.

Shisui's sheepish expression turned back to a concerned expression as he looked back at me.

"But my point still stands, you can talk all you want about being unwilling to sacrifice yourself, but how can you act like this is nothing when I know it must bother you. You're not that callous." Shisui asked me.

"Because I know that I only have to wait 14 years for this to end." I replied. "Hinata will be Clan Head, and she will end the cycle of torture and subjugation of the Hyuga Clan."

Shisui raised one eyebrow at my words.

"You must really believe in her." Shisui noted.

"Yeah, I do." I said confidently.

I truly did. From what I understood that there had been major changes in the Hyuga Clan by the Boruto era. The show hadn't expcility mentioned if the use of the Cage Bird Seal had ended, but I know in any reality in which Hinata was allowed to live that she wouldn't allow for this to happen. No, Hinata was too kind for that.

"That's good." Shisui laughed. He reached over to me and pulled me into a hug,

"What?" I said surprised at the sudden embrace.

"Shut up, gaki." Shisui chuckled. "Sometimes you act so mature that it's easy to forget your only 5. But, I know the truth. You're just a kid like Itachi, and you need help with dealing with all of this. Just remember that your Aniki Shisui will always be there to support you. Also, your more like us then you think."

"Whatever." I said rolling my eyes, but I returned his hug.

I refused to say it, but I was grateful for Shisui's support at this moment.

And if Shisui teased me later about those tears in my eyes then I will vehemently deny that this happened.

* * *

"Big Brother Neji?" Hinata said nervously from outside of my room.

I had just gotten back from training with Shisui. This was usually the two hours I got to eat lunch before I had afternoon training with Hinata and Hiashi. I doubted Hiashi would go easy on me today either.

I usually didn't see Hinata during this time. Occasionally we ate lunch together, but her private heiress lessons sometimes meant that she would show up back to the house after I was done eating.

"Yes, Hinata? You can come in." I called to her through the door.

Timidly, Hinata slid the door open. Her eyes refused to meet mine, but instead looked across my room.

I wouldn't be surprised if Neji in the original story was a minimalist in terms of room décor. I was the same way. I, like most Hyuga Clan members, lived in a house that was most similar to the traditionally Japanese styled rooms of my original world. It had tatami floors and a single futon on the floor. It had doors that led to the directly outside of the room as well as ones that connected to the rest of Main Family Housing. At one of the sides my room were a dresser and a single low table.

Hinata's eyes eventually landed on this low table, or more specifically what laid on it.

A photo of Mother, Father and I at my first birthday,

Hinata took a sharp inhale as she looked over at my photo. Her expression tightened, and she turned to look at me.

"I—I don't have to be friends with Ino and Sakura if it means Father will hurt you over it." Hinata burst out. She bit her lip as she looked over at me.

Oh, so that's what this is about. I honestly didn't know how to respond at first. She was right that Hiashi would continue to punish me if I defended Hinata's rights to have friends.

I normally wouldn't hesitate to do anything for Hinata. But, I really didn't want to suffer the same fate my Father had.

Is having friends really that important?

* * *

_"Your eyes." Itachi noted. "They're like mine. Not the sharingan, but the knowledge that came with them. You've lost someone recently too. I suspect that's not where are similarities end. I bet you've come to question this violent world we live in. I bet you don't trust the Clan as your other Clan members. I bet you don't feel comfortable with people your age. I also bet there is someone that you would sacrifice anything for. Am I wrong?"_

* * *

_"Shut up, gaki." Shisui chuckled. "Sometimes you act so mature that it's easy to forget your only 5. But, I know the truth. You're just a kid like Itachi, and you need help with dealing with all of this. Just remember that your Aniki Shisui will always be there to support you. Also, your more like us then you think."_

* * *

_**Yes, it is**_

This reminded me of the time I had asked Father to let me take his Curse then, I wished so desperately to let me ease his suffering. I had called him selfish for not letting me help him. Except maybe this was the time to be a little selfish.

I could almost understand why Father had made his decisions. Except, I refused to sacrifice myself for anyone. Not Konoha or the Hyuga Clan.

Except, Hinata would always be the exception to this rule.

Having friends was also truly a wonderful thing.

"There's no need." I said shaking my head. "I'm sure Hiashi will come to his senses and let you continue to play with your friends. If not, I'll make him."

"How could you say that?" Hinata said with her eyes widening. "They'll use your Curse Seal on you again."

"It's fine." I shrugged. "I can handle it."

"But—" Hinata started.

"Just let me do this, please." I cut her off. "Just trust your older brother Neji. One more time."

For a second, it looked like she would refuse. The pure discontent of this decision on her face showed as her face twisted into a disbelieving expression.

"O-okay." Hinata finally consented albeit reluctantly.

She obviously still looked very upset. So, I pulled her into a hug, She stiffened under my hug as if not expecting me to treat her like this after what just happened.

"Don't you ever blame yourself for what happened or what will happen. I do this of my volition. I will always do anything for my younger sister." I assured her gently. "I've been taught the importance of having friends, and I want you to come to the same realization. Just remember that your Aniki Neji will always be there to support you."

As we hugged, I tried to ignore the ache of my Curse Mark. This was a pain I would have to get used to being Hinata's older brother.

The pain of sacrifice.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I FINALLY HIT 100 FOLLOWS WOOH. Thank you everyone for the support**

** This scene was actually supposed to be in the last chapter, but then the chapter would of been like almost 8,000 words unlike my usual 3000-3500 words. It makes me wonder if my chapters are going to get longer as this story goes on. ****¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ oh well**

**Replys to Reviewers: **

** Fanreader18: Yes**

**Hinatayvonne: I totally agree. I hated when they gave Tenten the weapons of the Sage of 6 Paths, but she didn't end up doing much with them.**

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**Please Review because Reviews keep this story going.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I hope I don't Naruto or it's characters or else someone owes me some royalty checks.**

* * *

"Ouch! Shisui, be more careful!" I whined as Shisui generously applied the ointment to my forehead.

"If it hurts so much then stop arguing with your Uncle so much!" Shisui snapped as he rubbed it gently into my curse mark. I leaned into the touch as the dull pain of my curse mark began to feel cooler. I could almost feel the steam lift off my forehead as the ointment did it's work.

"You say that like its easy." I deadpanned. Shisui chuckled lightly, and I could almost feel Itachi's annoyed look at our levity.

Itachi had the right to be annoyed it had only been less than three weeks since the first time Hiashi had used my Curse Mark to control me. In this time, Hiashi had become slightly relentless and was willing to use the Curse Mark if I showed the slightest dissent. Of course, this didn't stop me from arguing with him about Hinata. Hiashi had used the Curse Mark on me numerous times in the last three weeks.

Obviously, Shisui and Itachi had been less than pleased.

"Where did you get this ointment, anyway?" Shisui questioned me.

"Hiashi's maid gave it to me when she saw the redness on my mark after Hiashi punished me. I assume working that close to the Main Family means you have to know stuff like this." I explained to him.

It had certainly been a pleasant surprise. My close proximity to the Main Family meant that I rarely got to interact with other Branch Members outside of the master and servant setting. I sometimes I forgot that the other members of my clan faced similar issues as me.

"Oh."

That somber piece of information seemed to disquiet Shisui a little. Itachi still hadn't said much either after I had shown up to training a little late with my hands on my forehead and an obvious redness in my eyes.

_I need to make this situation a little better._

"Oi, stop worrying." I said trying to channel some of the positivity that Shisui was usually known for in our group. "I know Hiashi is going to change his mind soon."

"How can you know for sure?" Itachi finally said while frowning.

Shisui and Itachi showed their concern in different ways. Shisui showed his concern loudly with emotional outbursts. He would give physical displays of affection and try to discuss solutions.

Itachi approached concern a little differently. He would try to be more gentle in his approach. He would treat you a little more nicely then he usually would. He would hit a little weaker in sparring or drop the occasional compliment. He would wait for you to explain yourself, and if you didn't then he would ask you about it quietly and tell you that you didn't have to explain yourself if you wanted. He would also talk in an almost quiet and emotionless tone as if worried about setting you off.

The tone he was using right now.

"You didn't see him this morning. I think I'm finally getting to him." I explained. "Hiashi had the most stricken expression."

* * *

"_No, Neji. Don't make me repeat myself. Stop trying to get me to change my mind" Hiashi warned._

"_Uncle, please, I beg you. Please allow for Hinata to see her friends. Taking away her friendships will do the exact opposite of your expectations. Her progress will stagnate." I pleaded._

_Hiashi simply sighed at my disobedience. With a single hand sign, he brought me to my knees in pain._

_My nails dug into the palms of my hand as lava coursed through my veins. My eyes closed as I began to silently scream._

_ The pain of the Caged Bird Seal was inexpressibly immense as it activated every pain receptor in your body. _

_The closest description I could give is being stabbed in an open wound._

_ By a rusty knife._

_ At every point of your body._

_Tears continued to stream down my face as I forced one of my eyes open. Each slight movement of my eyes causing even more agony to erupt as I forced them to move towards Hiashi. _

_I looked up at my Uncle defiantly through the tears and the pain. _

"_**Is this what Father looked like you when you punished him?"**__ I croaked._

_Hiashi flinched back as if struck my works. But, I wasn't done._

"_My Father died for you, and this is how you treat his five-year-old son, as poorly as you treated you him. Older brothers are supposed to look after their younger siblings. But, you didn't do this. No, you punished him for not submitting, but my Father was still a good enough man that he was willing to die for you." _

_I took a deep breath as I found the next words to say. This ended up being a mistake as it caused me to begin to violently cough. I began violently to wheeze pathetically on the ground. Hiashi remained still above me unwavering. His face was oddly emotionless even for Hiashi's usual level of stoicism._

_Finally, I caught my breath._

"_But, I'm not like you. I'm going to look after my younger sister and protect her even if it costs me everything. I will be a better older brother then you ever were. I will bear my sister's pain if it means that she will be happy. I will continue to accept this torture until you agree to be a better parent then you were a brother."_

_I looked up directly into Hiashi's eyes. I dared him to argue with me._

"_If you still refuse then, __**hit me with your best shot."**_

_At these words, Hiashi lost his emotionless expression. A frown came up to his face. _

_Despite being identical twins, Hiashi and Father had always looked different from each other simply because Father had been willing to wear his heart on his sleeve._

_At this moment, they didn't look so dissimilar. _

_Hiashi looked almost stricken with guilt as he gained down at my prone body,_

_The prone body of his five-year-old nephew that he had just tortured._

_Wordlessly, he brought his hands up to break the activation of my Cursed Seal. He turned around and briskly left the room._

_I laid there in shock at what I had done. My words had finally manage to reach Hiashi. Hopefully, Hiashi would change his mind._

_I simply laid there for another 30 minutes due to the pure exhaustion of the experience. Eventually, I was helped up by an Hiashi's maid that had entered the room to clean._

* * *

"And that's what happened." I explained fake-cheerfully.

"Are you sure that you should be antagonizing your Uncle?" Itachi questioned.

"Especially after what you said. A personal attack like that could only serve to get him angrier." Shisui pointed out.

"You two weren't there." I pointed out. "For once, I could tell that Hiashi felt guilt for his actions. I know he's close to giving in."

The two exchanged worried looks with each other. Internally, I sighed. The two could be such hypocrites when it came to sacrifice.

"Whatever, lets start training. Shisui you said that you would finally explain to me how you create afterimages with the shushin." I finally suggested.

The two nodded, and we began to train.

* * *

Training quickly ended, and I parted ways with the Uchiha boys. I made my way back to the Hyuga compound.

The training had been rather uneventful after the conversation at the start. Itachi had stopped asking me about my conversations with Hiashi. But he had been noticeably slower when we sparred. Shisui had kept putting his hands on my shoulder during his explanation over the shushing. They were both worried about me.

I took of my shoes as I walked into the Main House Compound. I wonder how awkward things would be today with Hiashi. All the other times, I hadn't upset Hiashi enough for him to change his interactions with me during are afternoon training. I expected today would be a little different.

"Neji?" Hiashi called out from across the compound. "Please come see me."

_Please? Hiashi doesn't usually ask. Also, the last time he had waited for me after my morning training was after my meeting with Danzo. Obviously, this must be important._

"Yes, Uncle!" I called back.

I quickly began to make my way to the foyer of the Main Family Compound which was where I expected Hiashi to be.

Hiashi sat there at a long table directly facing the door. As he saw me walk in, his face twisted into the stoic expression that I was used to seeing on him.

I quickly bowed and sat seiza directly across from him.

"Yes, Uncle?" I responded. "Do you need me for anything?"

I knew what this was about. But, he needed to be the one to start.

"Yes." Hiashi sighed. " I need you to walk Hinata to the Yamanaka compound. I assume you know where that is,"

I did. I did receive certain instruction regarding my duties as Hinata's future bodyguard. One of these instructions had been to memorize the layout of Konoha and all of its major housing districts.

But, it was amazing that I actually managed to change Hiashi's mind.

"Yes, I do. But, Uncle why-" I hesitated..

"Why did I change my mind?" Hiashi finished. "You changed my mind. Your words were right. Maybe, sometimes I can be a little too harsh with Hinata. I'll probably need to make a deal with the Elders, but I'll allow Hinata to remain friends with the Yamanaka girl. But you need to promise me that Hinata will take her training seriously."

"I promise. I'll make sure that she becomes strong." I promised him.

"Good, Hinata is waiting for you in her room." Hiashi said.

I gratefully bowed to him and made my way towards the door. Before I left, I turned around at him and looked back at him. He blinked back at me surprised that I needed something else.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"Your welcome, Neji."

* * *

Hesitantly, I knocked on the door to Yamanaka Compound.

I had every right to be hesitant, this was a clan of mind readers and interrogator. One slip up could mean that I could have someone looking through my memories.

Next to me, Hinata fidgeted as no one answered door at our first knock.

Hinata had been overjoyed to find out Hiashi would allow for her to play with Ino and Sakura. Although, I could tell she was already feeling guilty for what Hiashi had done to me.

I reached out to knock the door again but as I did the door swung open.

An inquisitive handsome blond face with a single ponytail peaked through the door. He looked forward without spotting anything, and then looked down. Immediately, his face lit up.

"AH, Hinata and her brother. We were expecting you two, please come inside. Ino and Sakura are already waiting inside." Inoichi said while smiling down at the two of us.

We both bowed deeply to him.

"Thank you for having us Yamanaka-sama." I said formally.

"Y-yes, thank you for allowing us to come your estate." Hinata repeated.

Inoichi looked rather flustered at our formality. But neither of us could help it. We had both been taught to treat notable people, such as clan heads, with respect.

"It was no problem." Inoichi said while laughing. "Please come inside."

We set our shoes aside at the door and followed him inside to the Yamanaka compound.

The Yamanaka Compound was different from The Hyuga Compound in many ways. For one thing, The Hyuga Compound was stylized in a formal manner more consistent to the old Japanese room and building. The Yamanaka Compound was more of a large modern-day house. As well as this, the Yamanaka Compound was well decorated with pictures and flowers. It was a bright and vibrant house, while The Hyuga Compound was more sparsely decorated.

In more simple words, the Yamanaka Compound felt like a home for a family while the Hyuga Compound felt like a hotel that pretended to be a home.

I heard Hinata gasp as she looked around at our surroundings. This would be her first time being in another home besides her own. I felt bad that The Hyuga Compound was the only home that Hinata had known.

Inoichi chuckled at Hinata's gasp clearly misunderstanding her disbelief.

"Yes, my wife loves to put up flowers from our flower shop around the house. It looks nice but it takes forever to water all of them." Inoichi explained as he led us down a hallway.

Finally, he led us to a room and opened the door. The room appeared to be a rather large living room with couches, a large table and a television. At the center of the room, Ino and Sakura sat there chattering about something. As soon as they saw us enter, Ino leapt up.

"Hinata!" Ino screamed excitedly. Right next to her, Sakura shrieked as well.

I winced. I had forgotten how lucky I was to have a soft-spoken younger sister.

The two girls leapt up from their seats and ran towards Hinata. Hinata took a step back in surprise, but Ino soon tackled her to ground. Sakura stood above the two smiling.

"Daddy said your Dad didn't want us to hang out anymore." Ino said squeezing while Hinata tightly. "I'm so happy he changed his mind."

"Yeah what made him change his mind?" Sakura asked.

"Neji-nisan managed to convince Father to let me come over more." Hinata explained.

"Really?" Ino said, and she turned around to look at me.

She stared at me, and I stared back unflinching under her scrutiny. Compared to Uncle or Grandfather, Ino's gaze was almost pleasant.

Ino immediately turned around and whispered something into Hinata's ear.

Hinata's face turned a bright crimson as she did this.

"What do you mean Neji is—"Hinata asked.

"NOTHING." Ino shushed her.

She turned around to look back at Inoichi and I. Her gaze intently focused again on me.

"I'm taking Hinata and Sakura back to my room. Bye!" Ino said hurriedly.

Ino grabbed both Sakura and Hinata's hands and dragged them way out the other door.

That was weird.

"Sorry, Ino usually has more social graces then that." Inoichi apologized. I nodded back in acceptance.

A second passed of pure awkward silence.

Inoichi awkwardly coughed as if to get rid of the silence. He turned to look at me.

"So, Neji. Are you expecting to stay here while Hinata plays with Ino or will you be walking home." Inoichi asked me.

"I think Uncle Hiashi expects me to stay here the whole time while Hinata plays with Ino and Sakura." I answered hesitantly.

I hadn't realized I would be left here alone with Inoichi. This situation was getting worse and worse. I didn't have to worry about rousing his suspicions if I died before the pure awkwardness of this situation. You would think that this world's versions of psycholigsts would be a little less awkward.

"Hmm, okay." Inoichi said slowly. "You're welcome to stay in this room while you wait. There are books on the bookshelves and the TV to entertain yourself."

I thanked him and Inoichi quickly left the room.

Hmm, maybe Inoichi also found this situation as awkward as I did.

I took a look around the room.

The room had photos that lined the walls. My eyes were immediately drawn to a photo of a family. In it looked to be Inoichi, his wife and Ino. But there was also another smiling family that I didn't recognize. A woman with auburn hair and what looked to be her two sons which both had auburn hair. The youngest looked to be around my age while the older looked to be around maybe 12 or 13.

"What are you looking at?" Inoichi called out from behind me.

I startled and turned back at him. He took a step closer and looked at the photo I was looking at.

"Oh, this photo. This is my first cousin Aiko and her two children Santa and Fu. I bet there bright hair gave them away." Inoichi noted.

Dumbly, I nodded.

"Not all of Yamanaka Clan have blonde hair like me or Ino. There is actually a small portion of our clan that has bright auburn hair like those three." Inoichi elaborated to me.

Again, I nodded.

Inoichi started to explain something about genetic variations within the Yamanaka gene pool. But I ended up ignoring him. I couldn't help but note that one of those names he just mentioned seemed familiar. The name of the younger smiling boy.

_Fu Yamanaka. Where do I know that name? He doesn't come straight to mind when I think about the plot._

As if noting my disinterest, Inoichi's lecture began to trail off. He lightly patted me on the shoulder and told me that he was going to get me refreshments. I felt a little bad ignoring the kind man, but I needed to figure this out.

So far, I had only forgotten small details. I could remember that certain events would happen, but not how they would happen. This suggested me to that Fu was probably a minor character.

But, why do I feel such unease seeing him smiling in this photo? I feel like something horrible happens to him.

Inoichi returned with some glasses of water.

"I didn't know what you would like so I brought you back some water. I hope this is fine." Inoichi told me as he took a sip from his own glass. He looked at me gently.

"So tell me more about why your Father didn't want Hinata to come visit Ino. Ino was really upset about it." Inoichi questioned me.

I feel like that name meant something, but I'm probably never going to remember it. Hopefully, it's not important. I can't focus on that right now when I have Inoichi right in front of me.

"He's not my Father. Hinata's father is my Uncle." I corrected him.

"We call each other siblings because our Fathers are twin brothers, and we were raised together. You see Hinata is the heiress of the clan and—"

* * *

Forget what I said about Inoichi being awkward. Inoichi turned out to be an extremely good listener. This dramatic shift in personality reminded of the threat that this man posed.

This man was a man trained to get information out of the most unruly of individuals. He probably had one of the best understandings of the inner workings of the mind and psychology in the entire Elemental Continent.

I needed to be careful of what I told him.

So obviously, I told him everything that he asked.

Lying was always easiest when contained the truth.

I had to edit my stories when talking to him. I couldn't mention anything that I shouldn't know that I learned my previous life. I couldn't talk about my progress with training or my friendship Shisui and Itachi. I also couldn't talk about how Hiashi had used the Caged Bird Seal because I would get in trouble for airing out the Hyuga's dirty laundry like that.

But, I was banking on this.

I assume Inoichi would know about The Hyuga Clan politics, and I hoped any nervousness and tension he would assume had to do with clan politics rather then any other secrets.

After I conversation ended and it was almost time for Hinata to leave, Inoichi finally decided to speak a little more.

"You know you're rather articulate for your age." Inoichi commented.

Hopefully, I didn't come off as too smart.

"Thank you for the compliment Yamanaka-sama." I said.

"There is no need to call me sama when its just the two of us." Inoichi responded. "Anyways, you mentioned that you didn't have much friends your age besides your younger sister."

That technically wasn't exactly a lie. Both Itachi and Shisui were older than me. But, my friendship with them was a secret so I hadn't exactly mentioned it when talking to Inoichi.

"Yes, Yamanaka-sama. It's fine though, I don't exactly act my age." I pointed out.

"Hmmm, if you're sure." Inoichi said frowning. "Anyways, its about time for you and your sister to head home. I'll go get the girls."

Inoichi briskly left the room and about 5 minutes later came back with the girls in tow.

Hinata still looked just as red as when Ino had pulled her away. She refused to look at me for some reason.

Ino was giving me another strange look.

Sakura was looking at me too, but with a more inquisitive look then Ino.

"Thank you for having us." I said as I grabbed Hinata's hand. "It was a pleasure speaking with you, Yamanaka-sama. I hope Hinata and I can visit again."

"It was no problem. Tell your Uncle that you were both a pleasure to have." Inoichi said as he began to escort to us to the door.

"Bye Hinata." Ino chirped. Ino looked at me again with that strange look. "Bye Neji."

"Bye you guys" Sakura said from her spot next to us.

"Bye." Hinata and I said.

Soon, we reached the door and left the compound.

We walked hand in hand back to the Hyuga Compound. Hinata was oddly quiet on are walk back. I knew I had to break this silence.

"Did you have fun?" I asked her.

She nodded.

"Yes."

"So what did you guys do today?" I asked.

"Not much. We just talked" Hinata said softly.

"Is this talking why you were blushing and Ino was looking at me strange.

Hinata posture immediately hunched over and she began twiddling her fingers at my words.

What could have gotten her this worked up?

"It's fine, you don't have to tell me." I assured her, Hinata breathed out a sigh of relief. She opened her mouth to speak.

"It's fine. Ino said you were the dreamy, silent type. I think she likes you." Hinata explained.

Oh.

That explains a lot.

But still doesn't explain why she was so nervous to talk about what happened to me.

"Oh, that's interesting, I guess. I don't think I feel the same way about Ino, I hope she realizes that." I told Hinata. Hinata nodded.

"That's what I told her. But, Ino can be stubborn." Hinata sighed.

"It's fine. I bet she'll find someone else she'll like at the Academy." I reassured knowingly.

_Sorry, Sasuke._

We continued the rest of the trek in silence until we finally reached the door to the Main Family Hyuga Compound.

We stood there for a moment just looking at the gloomy building.

It was so different from the Yamanka Compound. This was supposed to be our home, but a lot of our worst memories had happened here.

Hinata's eyes met mine.

"Big Brother Neji?" Hinata said suddenly.

"Yes, Hinata?"

"Thank you for letting me see Sakura and Ino."

"No problem."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Hiashi's abuse is resolved. Or is it?**

**Replies to Reviewers: **

**Indra Sennin: Neji's gonna get stuff done just in his own way. Neji isn't really selfish enough to abandon Hinata to escape anyways. Also if he defected from the Hyuga where would he go?**

**Ashborn2271: I agree Lol I think they could done more with Tenten's Fuinjutsu, but they didn't.**

**Guest who keeps asking me to save the Uchiha: We'll see ;)**

**Uncle Woody: I understand why you might think that. His belief is rather irrational. My goal when adding this belief was giving my a character a personal weakness that he needs to overcome. How he came to have this was more because of the repeated trauma he had that he has come to associate with sacrifice. People gain a lot of phobias through having something innocuous (like birds) paired with something bad happening (a death or great fear). In a sense, Neji has a phobia of sacrifice. Neji attempts to rationalize this irrational fear by talking about the negative impacts of sacrfice. Basically, my character is somewhat mentally ill and refuses to recognize it.**

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**Please Review because Reviews keep this story going.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: It's true. I am ****Masashi Kishimoto and this is the story Naruto was originally intended to be. A self insert fanfiction.**

* * *

As I got older my life began to shift in both expected and unexpected paths.

One of the first changes was my Uncle Hiashi.

Hiashi began to act differently after my conversation with him. It seemed like he had taken my words to heart about being a better father to Hinata.

Hiashi's disappointed glances at Hinata during training started to wane. He even began to compliment her for her progress. His use of the curse mark on me ceased completely as well.

Of course, we had little to argue about now.

But I could only hope this new found kindness would extend to other portions of his life.

Another major shift in life was Hinata's new stepmother.

_Yes, her new stepmother._

I hadn't remembered Hinata having a stepmother in the original story. So either I had forgotten this piece of information or the butterfly effect was happening.

Hyuga Hiroko was the quiet 35-year-old granddaughter of one of the Elders of our clan. She was a recent widow as her husband had died during the Kyuubi attack.

Hiashi's and Hiroko's "romance" was about as dry and anticlimactic as you would expect of the Hyuga Clan.

One week, Hiashi invited her over for tea.

The next week, they got married.

Two weeks later, Hiroko was pregnant with what I would assume would be Hanabi.

The sudden appearance and marriage of Hiroko lined up almost too perfectly with my Uncle's shift in personality and allowing for Hinata to remain friends with Ino and Sakura.

It was pretty clear to me that the deal my Uncle had mentioned previously was this.

If Hinata didn't take her training seriously enough then they needed to a different heir lined up.

This would be Hanabi.

Hinata didn't realized what Hiroko meant for her. I also couldn't bring myself to tell her.

Instead, I smiled at Hinata's happiness of becoming an older sister and her Father finally being kind to her.

Finally, Hinata had friends, a kind father, and soon a loving younger sister. She was the happiest I had ever seen her.

I would try to my best to make sure things stayed this way for her.

The next major shift was the one I should have been expecting, but the one I ended up being blindsided by.

Inoichi had been rather oddly discomforted by the fact that I had lacked friends my own age.

However, I hadn't expected him to take this into his own hands.

* * *

Almost a month after my initial visit to the Yamanaka Compound, Hinata and I were invited over once again.

Inoichi showed Hinata and I into the compound, and we were greeted by the familiar site of Sakura and Ino.

Except this time, there were more kids besides those two.

An annoyed spiky haired boy was arguing with Ino while a chubby boy noisily munched on chips next to them.

Disgusted, Sakura wrinkled her nose at the boy. Seemingly oblivious, he continued to chew loudly on his chips..

"They're here!" Inoichi called out as we entered the room. Immediately, Ino stopped arguing with Shikamaru and turned to see us enter.

Her eyes lit up as she Hinata. Her eyes lit up even further as she saw me.

Sadly, Ino's crush had yet to subside after that first time. My only hope was that she would one day would become too enamored with Sasuke to even pay me the time of day.

"Hey Hinata and Neji." Ino turned to look at her father. "Why did you invite Shikamaru and Choji? Those two are totally lame!"

Her father chuckled and sent an apologetic look to Choji and Shikamaru. Shikamaru just looked annoyed, while Choji continued to snack on his chips.

"I told you Neji needed someone to talk to if he was here too." Inoichi pointed out.

Ino pouted. "But, Neji can hang out with Sakura, Hinata and I. Right, Neji?"

She sent me a look. I assume it was supposed to be the five year old version of seductive, but on Ino's cherub face, it looked closer to a puppy begging for treats.

_Being bluntly hit on by a 5-year-old is actually really creepy._

I sent her back an unimpressed look.

"No thanks." I said coolly.

Ino pouted and Inoichi breathed out a sigh of relief.

"You guys can go to your room now." Inoichi said pointing to the door.

"Fine." Ino huffed, "C'mon Hinata and Sakura. I wanted to show you guys something anyway."

Hinata and Sakura followed Ino out of the room. Sakura shot me an apologetic look while Hinata just looked pertubed at Ino's behavior.

"Finally." Shikamaru breathed out as they left the room. "I thought they would never leave. That girl is so troublesome."

"You know what? For once, I agree with you." Inoichi said chuckling.

He looked at all of us. He awkwardly coughed like he did the last time I was here.

"Anyways, I actually have some business to attend to. You know where to find me if you need me." Inoichi said awkwardly inching his way towards the door.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of him." Choji said between bites while looking at me.

"Good!" Inoichi called out already half-way out the door.

Then, it was just the three of us.

There was almost silence except the crinkle of Choji's bag of chips and his loud crunching.

I took a closer look at Choji's bag of chips.

_Hmm, barbeque flavor. I actually haven't had chips in this life. I wonder if they taste differently._

"You want one?" Choji said handing me the bag.

"Sure."

Hesitantly, I took the bag from his hand and delicately pulled out a chip.

I brought it up to my nose and gave it a sniff.

_It smells the same as Lays._

I nibbled gently on the side of the chip.

_Taste just like them too._

"Thank you, these taste good." I said as I handed him back the bag. Choji immediately began to snack on his chips again.

Again, none of us talked again. Until finally, Shikamaru let out a large sigh.

"Father said you were a prodigy. Do you play shogi?" Shikmaru said lazily.

"No?" I said curiously.

Shikamaru was only 5. Could he already be playing shogi?

"How troublesome, I'll guess I'll have to teach you." Shikamaru said as he seemingly materialized a shogi board out of nowhere.

The answer to that question was a resounding yes.

"Okay." I consented. "But don't expect me to be any good."

"Don't worry about that." Choji said as he looked over at us interestedly. "No one our age can beat Shikamaru. Not even other Nara kids. Shikamaru just has fun predicting how different people play."

Choji's words ended up not being an empty boast as Shikamaru ruthlessly destroyed me after teaching me the rules.

I knew Shikamaru was a smart kid. But I also considered myself pretty smart, and I had the memories of being an adult. I hadn't expected him to destroy me so ruthlessly.

"Hmm, you don't sacrifice pawns when you should." Shikamaru said during one of our games. "Why don't you?"

I hadn't realized I was doing that.

"Umm, I don't know?" I said a little surprised. "Thanks for pointing it out, I guess."

Shikamaru made an unbelieving noise but continued to focus on are game.

And that's how a majority of my conversations went with Shikamaru. It wasn't any of the deep philosophical conversations I had with Itachi and Shisui. No, Shikamaru was smart but not mature enough for that. Choji was the same way, but he talked more than Shikamaru.

Finally, Inoichi showed up back in the room.

"Hmm. You're playing shogi? Who's winning?" Inoichi said curiously.

"Shikamaru. But, Neji just started playing today and he's already better than me." Choji replied.

I ignored them as I was too transfixed on this game. I was the closest I had even been to beating Shikamaru.

Carefully, I brought my promoted pawn close to his king. In two turns I could win this game.

Unhurriedly, Shikamaru moved one piece.

Then another.

Then another.

Then another

Then another.

Then he overtook my king.

"I win." Shikamaru said lazily.

I looked at the board at disbelief. I thought I had been close to beating him, but really he had been having me focus my pieces on a more offensive position so he could more easily maneuver them in a manner that he could take multiple pieces on a single turn and win.

He had completely outsmarted me.

Inoichi laughed at my dumbfounded expression. "I made a similar expression the first time I played with Shikamaru's father."

He glanced over at the clock. "It's time for you and Hinata to leave. I'll go get her."

Inoichi left the room again. I looked over at the two boys.

They were both nice, but there friendship would probably much more surface level then the ones I had with Shisui and Itachi.

"It was nice meeting you two." I told the two boys.

"It was nice meeting you too." Choji said smiling.

Shikamaru let out a quiet grunt that sounded very similar to the word troublesome.

Choji elbowed him, and Shikamaru scowled. He crossed his arms and muttered something that sounded like "troublesome". Shikamaru looked over at me, his eyes oddly focused for his lazy personality.

"Yeah, I guess it was nice to play shogi with you." He grumbled. "Let's do it again sometime."

"Sure." I nodded.

Soon, Inoichi came down with the girls. Ino saw our shogi board and immediately began asking Shikamaru why we were playing an "old man game". Not even bothering to make an excuse, Shikamaru stood up and collapsed on one of the couches near us. Choji sat right next to him.

Ino's face turned red at Shikamaru's casual dismissal. As she seemed about to yell at the lazy boy, Inoichi shot Hinata and I an awkward glance.

"Thanks for having us over. I'll deal with this. You two can leave." Inoichi apologized.

Without needing a second prompt, I grabbed Hinata's hand and rushed towards the door. Behind me, I could hear Ino begin to shout at Shikamaru for ignoring her.

* * *

The next shift was something that I had been expecting and hoping for.

I finally got to enter The Academy.

To say I was excited was an understatement.

Finally, I would officially take my first steps to be a shinobi. I knew that being a shinobi wasn't a fun occupation. This had been lesson engraved to me by the sacrifice of my Father, and the almost melancholic way that Itachi spoke of missions.

I knew the Naruto story, more specifically the anime, romanticized the shinobi lifestyle a great deal. Being a shinobi was a dangerous lifestyle that had left the original Neji dead and had nearly brought this world to an end.

Yet, I couldn't help but being excited. In my past life, I had fantasized about becoming a shinobi. Also entering the Academy would mean I would be one step closer to becoming stronger and preventing my fate.

"You seem excited." Hiashi noted from his spot next to me. He seemed amused at my excitement. I was usually rather stoic, so it made sense.

I blushed at him and attempted to get a hold of myself.

_Get a hold of yourself, Neji. You're not actually 6._

We stood outside the Academy building with the other academy students and parents.

The building was massive and composed of several other buildings. This made sense considering it also housed the Hokage office, Mission Assignment Desk, and Jonin Standby Station. Sitting at the feet of the Hokage Monument and being emblazoned with the kanji for fire, this building truly embodied the spirit of Konoha. Today, the building had a white banner above it with the big words "Welcome First Year Students". Below the banner, The Sandaime Hokage stood on a small podium.

He smiled down at all of us. His eyes going from each student as if to memorize our faces.

Eventually, he began to direct the kids to sit directly in front of him.

Hiashi pushed me forward towards where the other children were sitting.

"Good Luck."

As soon as we all sat down, the Sandaime began to speak.

His words were nothing special.

Frankly, they reminded me of the words that he had once told me at my Father's funeral.

They spoke about how each and everyone of us embodied the Will of Fire. About us, the newest generation, being a new hope for the village.

He spoke about the glory of being a shinobi and how there was nothing more noble then serving the village as shinobi.

Meaningless propaganda meant to excite children.

And, it worked.

Around me, children became ensnared by his false words. They nodded at key moments and many kids lit up when The Sandaime told us that he believed that we could all be fine shiobi. I did my best to replicate them to not standout

Eventually, the speech ended and The Hokage welcomed us inside.

This was the official moment that parents would lose their children to the shinobi lifestyle. Right now, the children would be forced to walk away from their parents into the Academy symbolizing not just a gaining independence, but also having to put their responsibility towards Konoha above all other personal relationships.

Excitedly, the children around me begin to make their way inside.

Ever so slowly, I followed them behind somewhat sluggishly.

Until I was eventually in front of the entrance.

I turned back to look at Hiashi.

He returned my look and nodded gently.

I nodded back and stepped inside and my way towards my new classroom.

I took a deep breath.

_Why am I so nervous?_

I slid the classroom door open. Immediately, all the talking in the room stopped as all the kids looked at me.

Apparently, I didn't seem very interesting as they all began talking again.

I looked back at them. I don't know what I was expecting, but I ended up being reminded that they were just kids.

Kids being trained to be killers.

I looked around for familiar faces, but I didn't see any besides Tenten who sitting by a group of girls and Rock Lee who was sitting in the front row waiting anxiously for our sensei.

I took the vacant seat in the front row that was the farthest away from Rock Lee.

I turned to the front and began to wait anxiously for the teacher.

Several more students walked into the class, and soon the classroom was full as we waited for our sensei to walk in. Eventually, a boy sat by me and tried to start conversation, but he soon stopped trying to talk to me due to my single word responses.

Eventually, an average looking man in a Konoha Headband walked in. He had brown hair, average features, and wore a chunin vest. He didn't appear to be from any notable Clan or was a notable character. If I had saw him on the street, I wouldn't give him a second glance.

Immediately, the room got silent as the other students noticed his unassuming presence.

"Hello, my name is Satoshi Amano." The man, Satoshi Amano, said. "I'm going to be your sensei for the next several years. Please call me Satoshi Sensei when addressing me. Now please respond as I call your name."

He did rollcall, and I found out that was I right that there was no other notable shinobi in this class besides Rock Lee and Tenten.

"Now, listen up. These next years are going to be hard but I know if you work hard enough that you all will be able to become genin." His eyes flickered to Rock Lee. Rock Lee gave him a determined look

His expression suddenly shifted,

He smiled at us almost sadistically. "Now take out your pencils, it's time for a quiz. I don't expect you to be able to answer everything. Just try your best."

There was a collective groan across the classroom.

"If this too much for you. You can leave now." He told us sternly.

He began to pass out papers and soon I was able to look the paper.

The test seemed relatively easy. It had questions on basic shinobi history, Math, English, Science, chakra theory, basic tactics, and other villages. All topics that I had learned either in this life through my readings or in my past life.

The topics were probably meant to gauge the relative knowledge of each student so they could know if any student was too far behind the curriculum or too ahead of the curriculum.

_Should I bomb this test? Or should I show that I knew the answers?_

On one hand, if I showed too much talent, I risked graduating early and changing the plot too much. It could mean that I wouldn't join Team Gai. Or that Team Gai doesn't participate in the Chunin exams, or that I wouldn't go on the Sasuke retrieval mission, or that Lee doesn't end up protecting Sasuke from Sound Ninja during the Chunin exams.

But not graduating early also would probably stunt my growth as a shinobi. I would also be forced to a sit in a classroom for close to 6 years pretending to not be as knowledge as I was while also making sure to maintain good enough grades to graduate top of my class. I'm not sure how long I could maintain the farce in front the watchful gaze of my shinobi instructors and being caught would raise too many questions regarding why I was pretending to be weaker than I was.

At the end of the day, showing my strength has more pros then cons.

I looked back down at the paper and examined the first question.

_Name the Four Hokage in chronological order. Extra points for descriptions of their abilities and contributions to the Village._

Diligently, I began to write.

_The Four Hokage in chronological order are: Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senji, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze. _

_Hashirama Senju is often referred to as the God of Shinobi due to outstanding talent in all areas of the Shinobi arts, However, the ninja ability he is most famous for the kekkei genkai Wood Release. Wood Release is widely considered one of the most powerful Nature Transformations due to its versality as both an offense and defense that could be used to seal the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Hashirama also founded Konoha and used his Wood Release to create many of the original structures within the village many which still exist today._

_Tobirama Senju is the younger brother of Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage. Tobirama Senju had many notable shinobi abilities included the creation of many notable jutsu including Raiijin:The Flying Thunder God Technique and Kage—_

* * *

I ended up being one of the last ones to finish. There were students done as quickly as 10 minutes most likely taking the Sensei's warning that not every question needed to be answered to heart.

There were other students like me that took all the time necessary to finish their yet. Yet, I doubt it was for the same reason. My reason had been putting longer than necessary to answers all written questions. The others had most likely needed the time because they had struggled through the entire test.

Lee's face looked noticeably downtrodden as Satoshi Sensei snatched the paper from Lee as he was still writing.

_Yeah that was definitely the case. _

Satoshi raised an eyebrow as he got my test noting the mini essay that I had wrote for the first question. He gave me probing look of disbelief.

I smiled back at him.

Satoshi Sensei simply nodded and proceeded to grab the other papers from each row.

Finally, as he was done, he stepped down to the front of the classroom and proceeded to speak.

"Don't worry everyone." He said kindly. "As I said earlier, the test wasn't meant to be finished at all. In full honestly, this test contained a majority of things were going to learn in the first-year curriculum. However, I'll post everyone's scores outside the class tomorrow so you can know how you stacked up in proportion to your class."

Satoshi Sensei began to outline the curriculum, but I couldn't help but internally frown at his last statement.

If we got all to see all the scores, we wouldn't just know how well we did compared to others. We would also know who the bottom scorers and top scorers were. This would encourage the bottom scorers to face slight social stigma as being seen as the idiots of the class. This could cause the more resilient students to try harder to not fail the next test to avoid this. But the less resilient students could end up dropping out due to social pressure.

It would have the exact opposite on the top students. It would encourage the top students to continue to study hard to continue to maintain their places and possibly hit the #1 spot to help maintain the social status that they had gain and not be overtaken by other top students.

In summary, The Academy encouraged an academic environment that greatly favored certain students, encouraged rivalry between students and allowed for only the most resilient to survive.

_Hmm, it makes sense. You would want to make sure the more talented students don't remain arrogant or lazy by forcing them to actually work to maintain their grades. Also the shinobi lifestyle doesn't suit the weak-willed, so this could help weed out students not inclined to be shinobi._

"Anyways today we'll discuss the first question of the test you just took. Would anyone like to share the answer they put for the first question." Satoshi Sensei asked us.

Many students raised their hands. The most notable was Lee who practically stood up from his desk to be called on.

Satoshi Sensei's eyes ignored all of them and his eyes flickered to me.

"Hyuga Neji."

My eyes widened at him calling on me. He even knew my name.

"What was your answer?" Satoshi Sensei asked me.

_Is he testing me?_

"The Four Hokage in order are Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze." I answered him.

"Correct. Anything else?" He pressed. "Do you know anything notable about them?"

"_This is definitely a test. How in-depth should I go? He shouldn't expect the essay I wrote him, but maybe a summary would work._

Hesitantly, I began, "Hashirama Senju helped found the village alongside Madara Uchiha. He is referred to as the God of Shinobi due to overwhelming skill in all faucets of the Shinobi lifestyle. He most well-known for his Wood Release kekkei genkai that he used to create the infrastructure. Tobirama Senju was rather infamous for being one of the strongest Water Style Users who have ever lived as well as creating many notable jutsu including the Kage Bunshin. He also created many notable institutions within Konoha including the Chunin Exams, Police Force, Academy and Anbu Black Ops. Hiruzen Sarutobi is often called The Professor. This is because—"

"That's enough." Satoshi Sensei cut me off. "Very good Neji. I didn't expect any of my students to be so knowledgeable about Konoha History."

Around me, I began to see that many of the other students had began to stare at me in open mouthed awe during my borderline ramble of a speech. Some of the boys shot me glares and the some of the girls had began whispering to each other.

"Back to the topic on hand." Satoshi said ignoring the looks from the students. "Neji was right that the Konoha was founded by the First Hokage alongside his friend Madara Uchiha. Let's go over the story of the Founding of Konoha."

The next hour Satoshi Sensei proceeded to give us one of the most blatantly propaganda filled retellings of Konoha's founding.

Hashirama painted was as having the idea for founding the village with Madara just supporting him. Tobirama was painted as a kind, intelligent younger brother rather than the untrusting bigoted individual he had been. Madara was painted as a Mad Man who betrayed his village that had always been jealous of The Senju Brothers, and only agreed to stop fighting during the warring era because he feared Hashirama's power. At the same time, Satoshi Sensei filled the story with themes of The Will of Fire, the power of Konoha Shinobi and being willing to sacrifice yourself for the village.

The whole time the students around me remained enraptured by Satoshi's Sensei's tale believing in every word.

It truly was disgusting.

At the end of his fictional story, Satoshi Sensei glanced up at his clock.

"Hmm. It's about time for taijutsu training. Everyone follow me." Satoshi Sensei said as made his way towards the door.

We followed Satoshi Sensei as he led us outside to a training ground that was located by a track.

Satoshi Sensei began to have us go through stretches and go through the beginning the stances of The Academy Taijutsu.

I followed all his instructions perfectly and unflinchingly. Compared to my usual training this was a breeze.

Around me, I could see some students quickly begin to tire as we slid from stance to stance.

This continued for enough half hour without break before Satoshi Sensei made us stop for a water break.

Next, he brought us by the track and made us run laps.

I stood by my classmates ready to move at the sound at of Satoshi's Sensei whistle.

With a sharp ring, Satoshi's whistle sounded, and I surged past my classmates.

_I need to impress him. I need to go even faster._

With this thought, I pushed chakra into my feet as I urged my body to go even faster.

Soon, I lapped all the other students and finished my laps a good time ahead of all other students.

I stopped by where Satoshi Sensei was waiting, and I caught my breath.

"Good Job. Just under 3 minutes. Most 5th years would struggle to make that time." Satoshi Sensei noted.

I nodded and cast my eyes towards my classmates.

Being surrounded by Itachi and Shisui had almost made me forget how ahead I was compared to my peers. If the next 6 years would be like this if I didn't graduate early, then I really needed to graduate early.

I began looking for Rock Lee and Tenten in the line of students running.

Tenten was near the front of the pack with a sizeable lead above all the other female students yet still trailing behind some of the male students.

Rock Lee was towards the end of the middle of the pack. Distantly, I could see one of the boys next to him whisper something to him. Lee's face turned bright red and he shook his head. The boys laughed at him and rushed past Lee leaving Lee in the dust.

_I wonder what that was about._

* * *

After all my classmates finished running, Satoshi Sensei brought us back inside us to grab lunches. He told us we had an hour for lunch, and it show up back to class in exactly 1 hour.

As my classmates trickled out of the classroom, I pulled out a book out of my bag.

'_Perhaps I can use this time to actually learn something today.' _ I absentmindedly thought as I pulled out my book. Hopefully, my time at The Academy wouldn't be a total waste of time.

Slowly, the classroom got empty as my classmates hurried out of the room to go enjoy their lunchbreak until it was just me and several other kids. The other kids were Rock Lee and the boys from earlier.

The boys were laughing rather loudly at Rock Lee as Rock Lee attempted to eat his lunch. It seemed like these boys were the bullies that bullied Rock Lee for not being able to perform ninjutsu.

I could help Rock Lee. But the Butterfly Effect could bite me in the ass later. I knew this part of Rock Lee's origin story, and this had helped him find the strength to become a genius of handwork. Rock Lee was too vital during Pre Shippuden to change.

No, it would be much more beneficial to leave Rock Lee being bullied.

I sighed.

_Sorry Lee,_

I attempted to ignore the boys as I read my book. But, the chants of the boys grew louder and louder. Soon, I couldn't ignore them.

"Give me back my lunch!" Lee cried.

"Nuh un." The boy holding his lunch said.

"How can you claim that your going to become a shinobi when you can't even get your lunch back." Another boy jeered.

"Face it, Rock Lee. You can't even do ninjutsu. You can't ever hope to be a shinobi. **Give up,** y**ou're a complete failure."**

* * *

_"You were right, Hiashi." Grandfather noted turning to look at Hiashi._

_**"Your daughter is a failure."**_

* * *

My book snapped shut with a loud bang.

With a loud sigh, I made my way towards the boys.

Startled, the boys turned to look at me.

"Neji-kun." One of the boys started. "We were just—"

"You were just what?" I interrupted him. "It looks like you were bullying Rock Lee."

The boys got quiet for a second as they didn't know how to respond after being caught in their heinous act. Finally, the one holding Lee's lunch stepped up.

"We were reminding this loser his place. How can he expect to be shinobi when he can only do taijutsu? We're only helping him. Neji-san, everyone knows you're smart. You must know what we're saying is true." The boy smiled at me.

I didn't smile back.

I would feel a little guilty beating them up. No, I needed to talk to these boys.

"Have you ever heard of Maito Gai?" I questioned the boys. The boys shook their heads.

_Figures._

"Maito Gai is Konoha's resident taijutsu specialist. Just like Lee, he can only perform taijutsu." I fixed my eyes on the boys.

"Everyday he trains his hardest to makeup for his shortcomings as a shinobi. Might Gai trains the hardest in our entire village." I told them.

In front of me, the leading boy snorted in disbelief. These words wouldn't be enough.

He needed to know the true might of Maito Gai.

"His hard work pays off." I said looking directly in the disbelieving boys' eyes. "Gai is one of Konoha's strongest shinobi. Arguably, the strongest in the village outside of the remaining Sannin and the Hokage. Rumors have it that if we ever fought full force, he could defeat even the Hokage."

These weren't really rumors, but more like speculation from my last life. With all 8 Inner Gates open, Gai had been strong enough to hold off a fully powered Madara Uchiha. To say that Gai could defeat the Sandaime was the biggest understatement.

The boys all had shocked looks at my fact. Next to them, Lee looked at me astonished.

"What I'm trying to say is that it's perfectly possible for Lee to become a powerful shinobi only using taijutsu." I sighed. "Now if you're done being so loud, I need to get back to my reading."

I turned to leave, but as I turned, I could see the leader clench his fists as if what I said angered him. I stopped and got ready for the incoming assault.

One of the other boys put their hand on the leading boy's shoulder.

"Kenji-kun, you saw Neji during taijutsu training." The boy said. "Neji is on a different level."

The boy, Kenji, unclenched his fist and sent me glare. He stomped out of the room leaving with a huff. The other boys followed him scurrying after him like mice.

Now, it was just Lee and I.

I turned to leave and finish my book. But, Lee caught my shoulder. He looked at me directly in the eyes.

His eyes were filled with tears.

"Is what you said true?" Lee's eyes widening "Do you really believe that I can become a strong shinobi?"

I hesitated. Would it really hurt to encourage Lee? Maybe if I encouraged him now then he would become stronger then he was canon without effecting the story too much.

_Also, who could say no to those eyes._

"Yes." I said stiffly nodding. "But only if you train hard enough."

A fire lit behind Lee's eyes at my words.

Excitedly, he began to thank me while frantically shaking my hand.

Then, he dashed out of the room leaving me alone.

I sat down and pulled out my book.

_Hopefully, this doesn't come back to haunt me._

* * *

The last shift was the one I had been expecting least of all.

It was becoming Rock Lee's inspiration and rival.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Longest chapter yet. Neji enters the Academy and meets more of Konoha 11. **

**Also, I'm going back to college in several weeks so my upload schedule might ****become less regular. **

**Please Follow or Favorite if you haven't already.  
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**Please Review because Reviews keep this story going.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or it's characters, or I might have made the filler schedule in the anime a little more bearable.**

* * *

"Can I sit by you, Neji-kun?" A girl said from above where I was sitting.

We were currently outside watching sparring matches. I had taken the liberty of sitting a decent distance from the other students and by myself. I was hoping this would stop people from sitting next to me.

This apparently hadn't been enough.

Internally, I frowned but I remained stoic on the outside.

_Not again. I don't know how much more of this I can take._

I grunted at her non-committedly.

The girl, seemingly taking my answer as a go ahead, sat down next to me. She shot a glare at another girl who was standing near us.

This other girl proceeded to sit at my other side much to my chagrin. She hooked both her arms around one of my own and leaned against me.

Annoyed, I pulled my arms back, but the two girls ignored this.

"Mina, go away. Neji is sitting by me." The first girl growled at her rival

"I just saw that this spot was free." The other girl, Mina, sneered back.

They glared at each other, their faces a mere several inches apart.

Soon, the two girls proceeded to argue over me while I just sat there trying to ignore them.

Ino's crush hadn't been a simple fluke.

In the few weeks since my start at The Academy, fangirls, and the occasional fanboy, had begun to rapidly accost me. They would sit by me during class periods. Others offered to sit with me during lunch, and some had even offered to walk me home.

Of course, I said no to all of these advances. But, these were just children so I never actually showed how much it annoyed me. I simply ignored them or told them no thanks. I was hoping that the children would eventually take the hint and leave me alone.

This in turn had the opposite effect I was hoping for.

The student population had started saying I was kind alongside being a prodigy. Others thought I was simply shy which was why I was avoiding all the advances of my classmates. This persona of the quiet genius with a heart of gold boosted my popularity immensely among my classmates.

I didn't really get why this was, but this was just another reason I was hoping for early graduation. The constant harassment by my classmates was starting to really become bothersome.

I ended up deciding to just ignore the two girls in favor of watching the spar match that was ahead of us.

It was Rock Lee versus one of his former bullies.

The bullies had stopped actively bullying Rock Lee after my intervention on the first day. Word had soon spread across the school that I had defended Rock Lee. Now, the bullying was more akin to social isolation and rude talking behind his back. I couldn't really fix either of these, and I didn't want to interact with Rock Lee more than necessary so I left this alone.

Rock Lee was winning handily against his bully. His bully, much similar to Rock Lee, came from a civilian background and had little taijutsu training outside of The Academy.

However, unlike Rock Lee, he didn't really seem to be taking his training as seriously.

Rock Lee was known to use his lunch break to actively train. He would be seen running laps around The Academy, punching training dummies or doing pushups and sit-ups.

Other students thought him weird. Some students thought his training was pointless when he he would never be able to perform a simple Bunshin.

But, none of them knew that one day Rock Lee would be a taijutsu beast that was arguably the strongest Konoha genin at the Chunin Exams when using his inner gates and dropping his weights.

However, that was still awhile away. Right now, Rock Lee still struggled to beat Clan children in sparring matches.

With a solid roundhouse kick, Rock Lee ended his match by slammed his opponent to the ground.

"Match goes to Rock Lee." Satoshi Sensei told us.

The two boys formed the seal of Reconciliation and made their ways towards the stand.

Rock Lee sent me an open-mouthed grin, and a thumbs up. His bushy eye brows wiggled enthusiastically like thick caterpillars.

Around me students noticed where he was looking.

I ignored Rock Lee and the looks from the other students, and I waited for Satoshi Sensei to say the next match.

"The next match is Hyuga Neji versus Akimichi Kenta."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a chubby boy nervously standup and glance at me.

Ignoring the cheering of the fangirls I was sitting next to, I stood up and made my ways towards the sparring circle.

The chubby boy, Kenta, stood in front of me nervously twitching.

I couldn't really blame him for his nerves. I had beaten all my other sparring matches within 30 seconds. Satoshi Sensei had to stop assigning me civilian children because the skill gap was too unfair for students who hadn't ever learned taijutsu before The Academy.

I smiled reassuringly at the boy, and I brought my hands to form the Seal of Confrontation.

Nervously, Kenta followed suit.

"_Hajime!"_

Kenta leaped back at Satoshi Sensei's declaration. But he wasn't fast enough.

Within seconds, I closed the distance between the two of us.

Sensing my approach, Kenta put his shaking hands in a stance almost similar to a boxing stance.

_This must be the Akimichi taijutsu stance. Maybe, I can ask Choji about it later._

I put my hands above his fists used his own strength as a springboard.

Nimbly, I leaped over him and landed on his back with my arms wrapped around his torso.

I wanted to perform a maneuver that Itachi had performed on me a couple of times.

_Hopefully, this gets Satoshi Sensei's attention._

Behind him, I pushed his legs with my own while simultaneously pulling his arms back.

Kenta easily fell to the ground with a soft thud, and I kept his arms pulled back while pushing his face pushed in the dirt.

"Match goes to Hyuga Neji." Satoshi Sensei called out.

I pulled Kenta up to perform the Seal of Confrontation.

As I pulled Kenta up, Kenta refused to meet my due to the humiliation of his defeat.

Faintly, I could detect unshed tears in his eyes.

_Now, I feel guilty about beating up a kid. Curse, my brotherly instincts_

"Honestly, Kenta that maneuver probably wouldn't have worked if you weren't so strong." I told him gently while smiling. "Let's spar again sometime. I can tell one day that your going to be a talented shinobi."

Kenta looked at me shocked. Perhaps, he had been expecting me to be rather stuck up about winning like other clan kids.

Then, he began to blush refusing to meet my eyes as he performed the Seal of Reconciliation.

_Goddammit, did I just create another crush. That will be the third time this week. _

"NICE JOB NEJI!" Lee cheered from the side. "I'll beat my next opponent as fast as you. I don't, I'll do a hundred pushups. No, two hundred pushups!"

I ignored the boy and made my way towards an empty seat. I cast my eyes to the next match, but I couldn't help my thoughts wandering.

Lee had been like that since the time I had defended him. He clearly looked up to me to a certain extent after I had told him I believed in him.

After the first day, Lee had also started to interact with me differently. The first day of class, we had barely spoken to each other, but now Lee went out of his way to speak me. More specifically, speak at me because I usually didn't respond.

It had gotten worse as my position of the top of the class had become more and more cemented. For every test I would ace, Lee would declare that he would study harder to match me. For every spar that I won by a landslide, Lee would declare that he would train harder to match my skill.

It honestly felt at times that Lee was only single step away from being a fanboy which was why it bothered it me this much.

I doubted that Rock Lee and Neji had this kind of relationship in the original story. Neji had been quick to dismiss Rock Lee's efforts before Neji's intervention with Naruto. I had done the exact opposite. I had replaced Gai as the first person who had truly believed in Lee. This shift in our relationship could have unforeseen effects on the plot.

I needed to stop doing this.

I needed to stop effecting the plot. I liked to think that I was intelligent, but I made rash decisions based on my emotions.

Just seeing Lee being bullied had been enough to make me snap and defend him despite the consequences.

This wasn't the first time either. My emotions had caused me to become friends with Itachi and Shisui. My love for Hinata had caused me to make her become friends with Ino and Sakura. This had in turn led to Inoichi forcing me to befriend Shikamaru and Choji. Now, I interacted with almost all of Konoha 11 on a semi-weekly basis.

It had been a simple plan. Grow strong enough to protect myself from a death of sacrifice. I cared enough about Hinata that I would do my best to make sure that she lived her best life. She was supposed to be the only exception.

But something inside of me just kept compelling me to change things without meaning to.

It was the weak part of me that I had once described to Itachi.

Despite, my hatred and even fear of sacrifice. I walked the same path of sacrifice as the original Neji that had led to his death.

Even now, I think of the upcoming Uchiha Massacre, and what I can do prevent it when I know it has to happen. It has to happen for the plot to progress in a predictable, survivable manner.

Yet, I didn't want it to.

Itachi and Shisui didn't deserve what was coming to them.

Shisui would die, and Itachi would be forced to live a life far worse.

I wanted to save them.

But, why?

Why am I so weak?

"Are you alright, Neji-kun?"

_Oh!_

In the midst of my melancholic introspection, a fangirl had sat next to me and seemed to notice my rather serious expression.

_I keep being surprised because of my introspection. One day it could actually kill me._

"I'm alright. I just got lost in thought for a moment." I reassured her.

_My decision regarding the Uchiha Massacre is something I need to more time to decide and plan. Rock Lee is a problem for a different day. Perhaps, my impact would be negligible. His personality seems rather similar to the original story as well. Hopefully, his motivation for getting strong doesn't impact the plot too much._

Despite my weak answer, the fangirl nodded and began to speak about something frivolous like the latest movie or flowers in the garden at her house.

I nodded along and pretended to be interested.

_Right now, I just need to survive another day at The Academy._

* * *

"I heard you've become very popular at The Academy." Danzo said. "Be careful some of them might bite."

I nearly spit out my tea, and I stared at him.

_Did Danzo just make a joke?_

The way Danzo had said it had made it sound almost serious. Yet, between his sips of tea I could see the sides of his mouth subtly lifted as if he was smiling.

"Y-Yes." I hesitated. "B-but—"

"But, you grow dissatisfied with your classmates maturity and experience in comparison to you." Danzo finished.

I nodded. It amazed me and worried me how easily Danzo could read me at times.

"It makes sense considering your closest friends are more then twice your age." Danzo pointed out. "But, no need to worry. There is already talk of bringing you up to the graduating class. I expect your sensei will mention this soon."

_That is a relief. _

I didn't know if I could sit through another lecture about topics I already know. Or how many spars I could feel comfortable doing that ended with me throwing a six year old on the ground. Or deal with another day of being harassed by fanboys and fangirls.

"That's not what I wanted to go over today. I assume you did the readings?" Danzo asked me.

I nodded. It had been the usual Konoha propaganda and philosophy readings.

"Good. We don't need to talk to about those today. I heard you lost several shogi matches to Shikaku's son." Danzo said.

_How did he learn that? Does he really monitor me that much? No, I would expect the Yamanaka compound to be more secure then that. More likely someone that was there as in Choji, Inoichi or Shikamaru told someone, and it made its way to Danzo's contacts._

"Yes. Shikamaru is astonishingly intelligent." I admitted.

"So are you, that it is little excuse." Danzo disagreed.

Danzo snapped, and a Root Agent dropped a Shogi board on the table.

"I would not say I am as good as Shikaku, but I like to think that I would like to say that I would give him a challenge if we were to play."

He fixed one assessing eye on me.

"Now, show me how you played the Nara child."

Hesitantly, I picked up a piece, and we began to play.

Danzo remained silent and still throughout our first game, besides giving the occasional nod when I did a move that he agreed with.

Of course, Danzo beat me.

He had been playing this game longer then I had been alive in both my lives combined.

"You're good for a beginner, excellent even." Danzo noted.

His face which had been schooled into a neutral look dropped into a frown.

"But, I have to ask you. At times in which you could sacrifice a sacrifice piece for gain, why do you chose not to?" Danzo questioned.

_Hadn't Shikamaru asked me a similar question?_

"I don't know. I guess it didn't occur to me. I shall consider this when I play next time." I answered honestly.

Danzo grunted disbelievingly.

"You say that, yet why do I doubt that?" Danzo said irritably.

I grew a little annoyed at this comment.

_Why didn't he believe me? _

_Of course, I would do what I would need to do to win.._

I attempted to keep my features neutral as I looked back at the bandaged man.

"Why would you think that, Lord Danzo?" I questioned him.

"Because you're more intelligent than even Shikaku's son." Danzo replied.

_What? Shikamaru has an estimated IQ of over 200!_

"By that I mean you're more mature." Danzo clarified. "There are many child geniuses, but rarely there are few that are mature as you. Even fewer that have this maturity before becoming a shinobi. For example, compare Shikaku's son and yourself. Shikaku's son is a genius even among the Nara Clan, a clan known for their wit. Yet, he lacks maturity, and this stifles how he sees the game. At the end of the day, Shikaku's son doesn't see the brighter scope of this game unlike you. I expect you understand why shogi is a game often played by generals."

A realization suddenly dawned on me about what he was suggesting.

"It's a simulation of war."

Danzo nodded. "I expect if Shikamaru truly pictured each taken piece as the death of a teammate, he wouldn't as callously sacrifice pieces. I expect that this is, at least subconsciously, your dilemma when you play this game. You see each sacrificed piece as a comrade, and this stops you from sacrificing them."

That actually made sense.

Too much sense.

Danzo continued, "The belief that you shouldn't have to sacrifice anyone is a noble belief. But, it's also **naive**."

_**BANG!**_

He slammed one of my captured pieces on the board cracking the board.

"You will continue to lose matches if you are unwilling to sacrifice pieces! Being a shinobi is the same way. There will come times when you will have to sacrifice your teammates or even yourself to ensure the safety of our King! Our King is Konoha!" Danzo proclaimed. "Sacrifice is the essence of a shinobi. A shinobi unwilling to sacrifice themselves is nothing, but a traitor to the very hand that feeds them. Your parents understood this lesson, and now you need to."

He fixed his one eye on me. His face, which was usually tempered to never portray anything besides what he needed to, shone with a sincerity that it usually lacked.

"**The lesson is this: Somethings are worth dying for."**

I couldn't help it. I gasped and clutched my forehead. It burned as I considered his words.

I despised the idea of sacrifice. I didn't want to die again. I didn't want to die like my parents in

this life had.

Despite this, I find myself wanting to make sacrifices for other people like Hinata, or Itachi and

Shisui. Every time this would happen, I would feel a pain on my forehead and pressure inside of

me. A pressure that made me feel like I was going to burst at the seams.

A tiny part of me agreed with what he said. Of course, I would die for Hinata. Hinata was worth sacrificing anything. She was my everything.

The other larger part screamed that these words were imbecilic. I deserved to live after dying once before. I didn't need to die a premature death again or one like my parents. If I started to believe in these words, where would my sacrifices end. I could end up dying for someone other then Hinata.

He made a hand signal, and two Root agents appeared at either side of me. He stood up from his chair. He looked at me.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you in anyway. But please consider my words."

He performed another hand sign, and my surroundings began to shift as I was brought back to outside the Hyuga Compound. The two Root agents quickly disappeared.

I stared up at the imposing buildings of the Hyuga Compound. I couldn't help but note the grey exterior which seemed to fit my current mood.

_Somethings are worth dying for?_

I pictured my Mother's pale visage as the life slowly left her body. I remembered the loneliness that I had felt when my Father had sacrificed himself to prevent war with Kumo.

_Yeah, right._

* * *

**_Author's Notes: Sorry that this chapter is a day late. I've been a little busy as of late and I didn't have time to upload._**

**_A little bit of character building. I'm just tryi_****_ng to build the relationship between Danzo and Neji. I also hinted at early graduation, so yay._**

_**Replies to Reviewers: I'm happy about the support I'm getting about making Rock Lee and Neji closer as friends. It's been something I wanted to do with this story. However, I have to admit it might take a little while before their friendship develops into something more meaningful.**_

_** Indra-Senin: I think Neji sees the Curse Mark as more of a hindrance then actual issue. As long as he doesn't actively disobey, the Main Family he shouldn't have an issue with it bothering him. However, he currently knows the pain of it being used on him, but he's focused more on his other goals i.e becoming a kage level shinobi and not dying. If these two actively interfered with each other then he would seek to eliminate the curse mark. I hinted that Neji might one day pursue a mastery of fuinjutsu if he finds suitable instruction, and if this does happens the issue of his curse mark would be addressed more.**_

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**Please Review because Reviews keep this story going.**


	12. Update

**Update: SORRY THIS ISN'T A CHAPTER UPDATE.**

**As I mentioned previously, I'm going back to college soon so my update schedule will become more sporadic soon. I would hate to put this story on hiatus, so don't expect that.**

**Another topic, I would like to bring up is my need for a Beta Reader. With my story getting close to having 200 followers, I think its about time I get a beta reader. Let me know if you're interested or if you have any recommendations.**

**Things I'm searching for in a Beta Reader:**

**1\. Someone with experience with writing or being a beta. This isn't a must, but I think having someone more experienced may be sorta helpful. If you don't have experience, but if you're really interested, feel free to ask.**

**2\. I want someone who's good with catching grammar mistakes. I'm very bad at catching my own mistakes, and I hope my beta can help with this problem. I'm hoping my Beta would be willing to go back through previous chapters and check the grammar mistakes. Especially the more recent ones because I have been more lax on editing lately.**

**3\. I need someone who is willing to call me out if something seems out of character or if my something doesn't make sense. At the same time, I don't want them to have me make change major portions of my story if they disagree with them. As mentioned earlier, I want the edits to be more grammar focused but I'm fine with lighter criticisms regarding the story itself. **

**Thank you everyone for the support. I can't believe that I started this story about 2 months ago and have almost 200 followers. I was expecting this to fanfiction to be among the many that got no attention on this site.**

**-BoomSplat **


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or it's characters. If I did, Boruto wouldn't be a slice of life anime.**

* * *

**_"That's enough."_**

Hinata and I paused from our motions and looked up at Hiashi. It had been awhile since Hiashi had acted like this.

Hiashi's face was twisted into a noticeable frown as he stared down at us.

"Good as usual Neji. Hinata, you need to focus on making your strikes more precise. I need to go check on Hiroko, so training will end early today."

_Oh, Hiroko. That makes sense._

Recently, Hiroko's belly had started to swell – the clearest sign of her pregnancy. This had ignited something within Hiashi. His first wife had after all, died due to childbirth, and I think this had put a pressure on Hiashi to make sure everything would go perfect this time. This included being an overly doting Husband, and a somewhat absent Father.

This hadn't been the first time Hiashi had ditched us in order to go check on Hiroko. And, I doubted that it would be the last.

Next to me, Hinata seemed oddly still as she heard Hiashi's words.

Ignoring her, Hiashi brushed past her as he made his way towards the door, seemingly unaware of her odd state.

"Hinata-chan." I said nudging her. "What's wrong?"

She didn't say anything for a moment. Her lavender eyes seemed to be tracing the grooves on the floor.

"Nothing." She said softly.

Hmm. That was rather odd.

_I need to fix this somehow._

"C'mon." I said suddenly grabbing her hand.

"W-What?" Hinata said stunned as I pulled her towards the door.

"You're going to get changed into something nicer, and we're going to go out into the town. It's been a little while since the two of us have spent time together, just the two of us." I said.

"B-but what will Father say? You didn't even ask him." Hinata said disbelievingly.

I attempted to channel some of that happy, brotherly attitude Shisui was known for having.

"Maaaah" I imitated nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it; Hiashi is busy, and we're not going too far. We can just tell the entrance guards where we went in case Hiashi gets worried."

She stared at me, her eyes widening in disbelief.

No surprise there, I tended to try my best to be the picture perfect Branch Member by always deferring to Hiashi when necessary.

But at the end of the day, my brotherly instincts will always trump keeping up appearances.

"A-Are you sure we should be-" Hinata began.

"Yes, now come on."

* * *

"And that's why you should never fangirl over a boy you barely know." I finished with a huff.

We were passing the park on our way towards the Shopping District of Konoha. I had done most of the talking so far. I had talked about the little things in my life like my shogi games with Shikamaru, and my time at the Academy.

It seems like I had gotten a little heated talking about my time at the Academy with Hinata. Hopefully, she doesn't use my experiences as some reason not to fall in love with Naruto later.

Or maybe she should because hadn't she stalked the poor boy?

_Wait, is my sister a fangirl?_

I shuddered at this sudden thought and tried to finish my speech.

"My point is that if it makes a person uncomfortable, you should probably stop your actions if it you like them. If you like them then you should also consider their feelings. Also, don't fall in love with the image of a person rather than the person themselves. I'd rather they like me for my actual traits like my intelligence or skills, rather than some perceived traits I have such as mysteriousness or kindness."

"But you are kind!" Hinata huffed out.

And then a much quieter voice she said, "…. You're the kindest person I know."

I pulled her hug at those words.

These words were kind but blatantly untrue.

_'My sweet, little sister. If only you knew how cruel I could be. I have the knowledge to save everyone, but I choose not to. I'm as selfish as they come. But all my kindness and selflessness will always be saved for you' I thought affectionately._

We pulled apart and walked past the surrounding greenery towards the Shopping District. The bushes and shrubs begin to fade and be replaced with the more suburban setting of the village of Konoha as we made our way forward.

"So, how have you been doing Hinata? I know there have been a lot of changes in our lives recently." I asked her.

"I-I'm doing fine." She stuttered, refusing to meet my eyes as we walked forward.

She seemed nervous for some reason.

"Are you sure?" I pressed. "You know you can tell me anything."

She shook her head. "I'm fine, big brother."

_She was being more stubborn than usual._

"Okay." I sighed. "We reached the Shopping District, but neither of us have any money. It might just be nice to just sit down somewhere to rest and talk."

We maneuvered our way towards the nearest stone bench and sat down. Hinata didn't say a word, and neither then I. I was at slight loss because I was out of small talk, and Hinata didn't seem like she wanted to talk about what was bothering her. I needed to just give her time.

Minutes passed, as we watched the busy streets of Konoha as civilian families and shinobi passed us seemingly in a rush to make their ways towards their direction.

The first familiar face I saw was Kakashi.

I hadn't spoken to or seen much of Kakashi recently. My time at the Memorial Stone was now more brief visits as I needed to meet Shisui and Itachi in the Forest of Death. Kakashi had also seemed to change his hours of visiting either to avoid seeing other people like me or because he had gotten busy with Anbu.

In any case, I could see him now strolling down Konoha with a familiar book in hand. The man couldn't even be 20 yet, but it seems he had already discovered the courage to read smut in public.

I gave him a slight wave, and he ignored me as he continued to walk towards his destination.

_'He probably is avoiding me.'_ I couldn't help but think.

Hinata sent me a questioning look as I attempted to get the attention of the Copy Ninja.

"I know him from the Memorial Stone." I explained awkwardly. "I guess he was too busy reading to notice me."

I knew that was utter bullshit. Kakashi had enough of an environmental awareness to avoid obstacles while reading. He was an elite Jonin meaning that his environmental awareness must be high enough for him to be assess a number of situations.

In other words, he was ignoring me and probably avoiding me.

I wasn't especially upset about this. We had never been particularly close, and I assumed my emotional baggage had been similar enough to upset him. He had his own demons to deal with. It also helped me not effect the plot as much.

The next familiar faces were Itachi and Sasuke.

I could only stare at the Uchiha brothers as they made their way past us.

Sasuke sat on his older brother's shoulders with a broad grin as he was just happy to be around his older brother. Itachi's face remained neutral, but I had seen his face enough to know when he was actually happy.

They both looked so carefree.

Soon, this would change.

"Big brother, you're staring." Hinata whispered to me.

_Oh!_

I could see the edges of Itachi's mouth move up as she said this.

With my cheeks blushing a furious red, I turned to look at my sister.

"I'm sorry I was just lost in thought." I attempted to explain. "Anyways, this is nice, just the two of us being here. But you never explained to me-"

"NEJI-SAN, WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE TO SEE YOU HERE."

I turned my head back to the road to be greeted by a sweaty boy with bushy eyebrows.

"Hello, Lee-san." I greeted unenthusiastically.

If he noted my lack of enthusiasm, it didn't show. He simply gave me open mouth grin. His face turned quizzical as he looked to me.

"I came here to pick up my groceries for my grandmother. I've never seen you here before. Why are you here?" Lee questioned.

"Our clan training finished early, so I brought my younger sister Hinata here to relax." I admitted.

Lee's larges eyes widened even further. His gaze dropped to my side to peer at my younger sister.

Hinata flinched away and dug herself into my side. Her eyes focused on Lee's eyebrows which occasionally wiggled as if they were actually caterpillars as he looked at her.

"Younger than us yet she also trains to be a shinobi, that is very admirable Hinata-san! You remind me of your older brother." Lee declared at the cowering girl. She awkwardly fidgeted at those words.

He turned to me.

"Neji-san, how would you feel about a contest of strength? I've been training since you inspired me that first day. I need to show you how much I've grown." Lee proclaimed loudly. Around us, strangers looked at the strange spectacle.

I didn't feel like humoring him. This was time I was supposed to be spending with Hinata.

"No." I said curtly. "This is time for my younger sister. This isn't time for training."

Lee's face twisted to disappointment at these words.

"Okay, Neji-san. I understand. It's very admirable of you to put your sister above your own self-improvement. Just what I would expect from the person I declared my rival."

Without waiting for a response, Lee ran away from us.

"I'm sorry about Lee-san." I apologized while rubbing the back of my head. "We're not actually rivals. He just started calling me that after I helped him the first day of class."

Hinata nodded without saying anything. She still seemed to be fidgeting from Lee's words.

"Are you okay?" I prodded. "Did Lee say anything you didn't like?"

"I-It's just I'm not like you." Hinata said quietly." I wish I was all the time. You're so good at everything, and I feel like I mess up everything."

I frowned at her. "I've told you before that we all have own strengths and go at our own pace. I'm naturally better at taijutsu, but you're kinder than me."

"T-That's not true!" Hinata burst out.

Hinata's cheeks were a flaming red. She looked a different kind upset then I was used to.

Usually, Hinata got sad. Her face would look hesitant, and she would cast her face towards the ground.

Yet now, Hinata didn't look sad. She looked almost angry and bitter. Rather then gazing at the ground, she glared at herself.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"I'm not kind. I'm nowhere near kind as you. From the moment I was born, you've looked after me and protected me. But this was never enough, I also wanted Father to be kind to me." Her angry eyes seemed to be holding back tears. "When Father first complimented me during training, I was so happy. I just wanted that moment to never to end. And, I knew that I had your sacrifices to thank for them. But now, Father ignores me again in favor of looking after his new wife and my unborn sister."

She looks up at me. The tears begin to fall from her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak again.

"That's how I know I'm not kinder than you. When I think about my unborn sister, I don't feel the need to protect her. I feel resentful that Father showers her with attention instead of me even before being born. I'm worried that she'll be naturally better at sparring then me. I'm anxious that you'll prefer her over me, and you'll stop protecting me." Her eyes closed. "I'm not as kind as you. I'm not as strong as you. I'm not you."

I froze at these words. I had never considered that Hinata could possibly resent Hanabi before she was born. Hadn't Hinata been unwilling to hurt her younger sister to the point of losing her position as clan heiress?

_Has my presence impacted the plot this much?_

No. It was natural for children to feel jealous when they begin to lose the attention of their parent. Combine that with the fact that Hinata had just started receiving Hiashi's love, her feelings were natural.

Hinata was kind. Kinder than I would ever be. I needed to help her realize this.

I pulled Hinata into a tight hug.

"You silly, silly girl." I whispered into her hair. "I will never stop protecting you. I will never love someone more then you. I'll make room in my heart for our new sister, but that won't change how I will see you. You're my adorable little sister."

"B-but, I'm not kind like you said. I'm not like you." Hinata protested between my arms.

Quoting someone I knew, I said. "You're more like me then you think."

"When I found out I was going to have a younger sister. I wasn't enthused. No, I was upset. I had just lost my mother because she had sacrificed herself for me. Now, they were forcing me to look after a younger girl that they would also expect me sacrifice myself for. I was less than happy."

Hinata's eyes widened in disbelief. She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off.

"I was maybe one and half. But, when I looked down at you, my younger sister, All of those feelings went away, I knew I would protect you at all costs." I told her. "All these feelings your feeling is natural. But I tell you to wait till your younger sister is born before making any judgements about yourself or your feelings for her."

"You really felt that way when you saw me?" Hinata questioned.

"Yes." I affirmed. "I still do."

"But, what if you're wrong. What if I am different from you in this way too. What if I look at my younger sister and feel nothing?"

_You won't. I know your future, and I know who you are right now. You have more kindness and empathy then anyone I know._

I shook my head at her.

"That won't happen. I know it won't, I promise." I assured her.

"But—" She protested.

"It doesn't matter anyways." I shushed her. "Your father will still love you and so will I."

From my point of view, I could see the worry in her eyes start to fade with those words. Her mouth lifted into a shy smile, and she looked up at me. She began squeeze me even harder with a hug.

"How do you always know what to say to make me feel better, Big Brother? I don't know what I would do without you." Hinata said softly.

"It's my big brother intuition." I chuckled.

Around us our surroundings became bathed with a soft orange light as the sun began to set. This trip to the marketplace had ended up taking longer than expected. If I brought Hinata home after dark, I would probably face some serious issues with Hiashi and the clan elders.

"It's time to go." I said gently prying her arms off me. "Any longer and Hiashi might start to get worried."

It was moments like these that made me realize how powerless I was in preventing to my own death for Hinata.

Moments like these brought me so much joy. But also reminded me how powerless I was.

Also, what would happen to Hinata if I died? She would live her life with Naruto and have children. But something inside of her would break, like what happened to me when my parents died.

"What's wrong, Big Brother Neji?" Hinata asked quizzically, noting my stone-like expression.

"It's nothing, Hinata. Let's go." I said moving to leave.

What would you do without me, Hinata?

I wondered about that too.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Guess who's back?  
Sorry for the wait. I've been back at college and I've found it harder to find time to write. I've gotten ahead on my writing so the next few chapters are written. Sorry if this felt like a filler chapter, the next couple of chapters will have more plot for sure.**

**Also thank you to my new Beta Reader Aki-Kuma for looking over this chapter for me!**

**Replies to Reviewers:**

**Mr. Beaver Buttington: This chapter was written directly in response to your comment. I've been really focused on trying to progress the plot forward because I feel like this story has been sort of slow. Neji hasn't even graduated yet but I'm on chapter 12. This sort of rushed feeling has caused me to not write down the little things like this. Thank you for reminding me to focus on the little things.**

**All the reviewers complaining about how I listed English as a class: That was a bit of mistake on my part. I was thinking more of a class that taught grammar and language.**

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**Please Review because Reviews keep this story going.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but if I did you can trust me Boruto would have a different name.**

* * *

"Neji, can you stay after class? I need to discuss something with you." Satoshi Sensei called to me as the clock struck the time to leave.

Around me, I could see the inquisitive looks of my classmates at our Sensei's words. Lee shot me an especially concerned look. Instead of feeding into their suspions, I ignored all of them and waited so I could have my private conversation with Satoshi Sensei.

Usually, Satoshi Sensei only kept students after class if they were struggling in class, failed a test, or if they were in trouble. However, Rock Lee had little to be concerned about; I was top student in our year for a reason. No, I expect the reason Satoshi Sensei wanted to talk was the thing that Danzo had mentioned.

A topic I had been both dreading and looking forward to.

As the final students trickled out of the classroom, I made my way towards Satoshi Sensei.

"Satoshi Sensei," I called out to him. "You wished to speak with me."

"Yes," Satoshi Sensei said to me with a smile. His eyes twinkled almost mischievously as he saw the curiosity in my gaze.

His smile quickly morphed into the more sadistic look he was known for.

"Hyuga Neji." He commanded. "Perform the clone technique and transformation technique!"

Without hesitation, my hands sped through the familiar seals that I had grown accustomed due to my training sessions with Shisui and Itachi.

_**Ram. Snake. Tiger.**_

_**Dog. Bear. Ram.**_

My small frame disappeared with a puff of smoke only to be replaced with the silhouette of two familiar figures.

As the smoke parted, Satoshi Sensei took a step back as if seemingly amazed that I could perform the task that he had of asked me.

Then again, our class hadn't even started learning chakra control exercises.

"Is this alright, Sensei?" I innocently asked Satoshi Sensei.

Not knowing what to transform into, I had decided to go the simplest option and transform into Satoshi Sensei himself. My clone and I had gotten Satoshi down to the smallest detail like the parting of his bangs to his worn chunin vest. Performing both jutsu at the same time had also added another extra step of complexity that I hoped Saotshi Sensei would appreciate.

With a poof, I transformed back into myself. I did my best to hide my amusement at the look of awe Satoshi Sensei was giving me.

_If he responds like this to basic jutsu, then I wonder what would happen if he knew that I could perform elemental jutsu. _

"Sensei, is there a reason you asked this of me?" I questioned innocently as Satoshi Sensei awkwardly made a move to fix his glasses.

"Yes," Satoshi Sensei said as he wiped his glasses clean. "It's come to my attention that this class is boring you with its pace. And after that display, I'm inclined to agree."

"What does this mean?" I said faking ignorance.

"Your skills far exceed your peers. Take these papers to your Uncle." Satoshi Sensei said as he handed me a stack of forms. "If he signs these then we will have permission to move you up to the current graduating class."

I stared at the sheet of the papers in front of me. These would help me towards my goal of being a Kage level shinobi by the time I was 18. Despite the joy I should be feeling right now, I could only feel slight trepidation. As well as this, something wasn't making sense.

"Satoshi-Sensei?" I questioned him.

"Yes?"

"I understand how knowing these jutsu is a sign that my physical skills are on par as a current graduating student. But one thing doesn't make sense." I said quizzically. "How do you know that I have the proper knowledge as a graduating student?"

"Quite simple." He said with a glint coming from his glasses. "Every test you have taken up to now have had questions from the final exams that the current graduating class passed last year. You've answered all of them correctly."

My eyes widened at this.

_I hadn't even noticed that there was significant difference between questions on the exams. If I had intentionally done worse on tests, as I had originally considered, then unless I had gotten all the upper division questions wrong, I would have ended up looking very suspicious. _

"T-that's amazing." I said feebly. "I hadn't even noticed."

"It's made that way." Satoshi Sensei agreed. He peered down at me. "Are you alright, Neji? You look a little pale."

"I'm just thinking about graduating early." I answered quickly.

_Definitely not how I nearly ended up giving myself away._

"One thing at a time, Neji." Satoshi Sensei chuckled as he patted me on the shoulder. "You still need to get your Uncle to agree."

"Don't worry." I assured him. "I don't think that will be a problem.

* * *

"No." Hiashi said without looking at me.

I had quickly gone home after the talk with Satoshi Sensei and brought the forms to Hiashi to get them signed. Hiashi had taken one glance at the papers, and then left to go speak with Clan elders without a word. Apparently, Hiashi had deemed this decision as important enough to warrant a visit to the Clan elders. It was probably due to my close ties to the Main Family as well as the possible impacts as having me publicly acknowledged as a prodigy if I graduated early.

An hour after he had left, Hiashi returned with this upsetting news. He said the news refusing to look at me; his eyes remaining transfixed on the blank wall facing the door he entered from.

"What! But why?" I asked frustratedly. "Why would the elders reject this?"

It didn't make sense. The Hyuga Clan should appreciate the clout that came with having a child prodigy that graduated early. They complained enough that Itachi wasn't that special. You think they would be jumping at the prospect of having a comparable prodigy in the clan.

"The elders said yes." Hiashi said turning to look at me. "But I said no."

_What?_

"What?" I said flabbergasted. "Why?"

"If you were to graduate early, you would end up neglecting your duties as a Branch member. Hinata needs to you look after her. As well as this, with my second child on the way, I cannot afford to lose another helping hand in the family. It is also not in your place to exceed the skill of the Main Family. This is a sacrifice you must bear as a Branch member."

At these words, I froze. My vision began to see red as I contemplated his words.

_Whenever I begin to think Hiashi is becoming a half-way decent human being he does something like this. He is destroying my opportunities on a whim because they don't suit his needs. _I began to shake with thinly concealed rage. _How dare he! How dare he take away this choice from me. How dare he use the word sacrifice with me when he knows what it did to my father. _

At seeing my enraged expression, Hiashi's face became stoic and his hands slowly made their way towards a familiar hand sign.

_No! Control yourself, Neji! _

I schooled my expression to one of submission.

"I understand your decision, Lord Hiashi. It is my role as a Branch member to serve the Main family to the best of my abilities." I said coolly which brought his hands to a stop. "May I be excused, Lord Hiashi? I need to get to my afternoon training."

At his consent, I simply bowed and exited the room. The only sign of my rage being my clenched fists at my sides.

_I need to hit something. Or someone._

* * *

"Woah, there!" Shisui said dodging a particularly vicious jab that I sent at his solar plexus. "If that had hit, then I might have been in some serious trouble."

"Then dodge faster." I said irritably. Shisui was choosing to go at this speed that was closer to my pace rather than his actual speed. It was not my fault if he regretted that decision.

As Shisui leapt away from my assault. I body flickered under where he would land. His eyes widened as he saw my visage under him.

"Air Palm!" I yelled as pressurized air left my hands tunneling through the air where Shisui was falling.

Shisui made no move to protect himself as the pressurized surge of air rushed its way towards him.

_Why is he not making a move to block or dodge?_

My question was answered as Shisui burst into a puff of smoke as the air collided with him.

_A clone? When did he have time to do that? I can't see him with my bykaugan. Unless, he's in my blind sp-_

The cold steel of a kunai hilt pressed itself softly against my neck from by blindspot.

"I win." Shisui said cheerily.

I rolled my eyes at this. He was a jonin, and I was an academy student. There was no way I would win even when Shisui slowed down his speed for me.

Shisui's grin weakened at my more serious expression. He bit his lip as if troubled.

"You know, Neji." Shisui said cautiously. "It's pretty obvious Hiashi's decision is bothering you."

In his place at the side of the training area, Itachi perked his ears.

"It's nothing. The life of a Branch member is to serve." I growled kicking the dirt.

With my byakugan still active, I could see Shisui send Itachi a worried glance.

Shisui set a hand on my shoulder.

"It's fine to be upset, Neji. Hiashi's decision should upset you. But not graduating early won't be the end of the world."

I pushed his hand off my shoulder, and I turned to face the older boy.

"That's easy for either of you two to say. You graduated two years early, and Itachi is the second youngest graduate in Konoha's history. To ignore my accomplishments like this is an insult to both my hard work and talent."

"It's also not just that." I sighed. "I thought Hiashi had grown better than this, but I was wrong. He reminded me that this was the fate of a Branch member of the Hyuga. A fate of pain and sacrifice like my father. I don't want that."

_Am I cursed to live a life of sacrifice like my parents? Am I destined to die at age 18?_

"You're being stupid."

Shisui's sharp words cut through my thoughts.

_What?_

"Our friendship is proof enough that Hiashi's words have little impact on your life. It's your choice how you live your life whether it be a life of sacrifice for those Main Family bastards or the life you dream about." Shisui said fiercely.

I shook my head.

Shisui was right. I needed to look at this rationally.

This was simply a speedbump. This would also stop me from impacting the plot too much.

"Thank you." I told Shisui sincerely.

"No problem, Neji-chan." Shisui smirked. "I also have an idea on how to spend the rest of your Academy time now that you'll be spending the next four years there. I got the idea from Itachi's brief time in the Academy"

Itachi made a sound at these words. His eyes widened at Shisui's words.

"You can't be serious?" Itachi said disbelievingly. "It's a forbidden jutsu. As well as that, I got caught doing that when I was in the Academy. You can't expect Neji to get away with it."

"It's only a forbidden jutsu due to the charka exhaustion. But Neji's chakra control is good enough that he should be fine. Also, Neji is more respected then you in the Academy by his peers. It shouldn't be the same problem as you."

_What?_

Itachi looked like he wanted to argue, but the look Shisui sent him was enough to silence him.

Triumphant, Shisui turned to face me.

"So, Neji…" He said as he started leaning close.

**_"What do you know about the Shadow Clone jutsu?"_**

* * *

**Author's Notes: Would you be upset with me, if I told you this had been sitting in my laptop for several months waiting to be published?  
Sorry about that, I really wanted to re-edit this chapter, but I ended up putting it off and then school restarted.**

**I refuse to abandon this fic, even if it takes me ten years to finish this.**

**On another note, I've been getting back into Star Wars, and I've considering writing a fic for it. I've also had an idea for a BNHA and an Avatar fic. But I'm going to want to get further along with this one before publishing any of those. I'm also thinking of starting to crosspost this story on Ao3. I personally do not use this site as much as Ao3 because I've noticed higher rated fics on Ao3 tend to be better quality then high rated fics on this website. **

**Loads of food for thought. Let me know if you would be interested in reading other stories posted by me.**


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I wish I did though **

* * *

When Naruto was an academy student, he had enough chakra to produce a small army of clones. This had been before he had access to the kyuubi's chakra. With access to that chakra, he could make a neither unlimited amount of clones without feeling tired.

At my current amount of chakra, I could produce one measly shadow clone.

It had been humbling to acknowledge that in terms of pure amount of chakra that Naruto would always be more gifted in this sense. But it was fine. One clone was all I needed.

One clone to take my place in the Academy while I trained or studied.

I had been skeptical when Shisui had first suggested it. If my clone had one hard hit, then it would pop, and my secret would come out. But Shisui had been quick to placate my fears.

* * *

"_Relax, Neji." Shisui assured. "The clones are surprisingly durable. It takes a solid hit for them to pop. When was the last time you got hit during your time in the Academy?"_

_I frowned at him. It seems lax to think about it like that way. If I get caught, then I will be in serious trouble with Hiashi._

"_But we have sparring matches every day!" I protested._

"_Are you telling me, at your entire time at the Academy, someone has landed a hit on you during sparring?" Shisui said with a single eyebrow raised. _

_I mean…. I guess I couldn't argue with that logic, but that wasn't my point._

"_It's not just that… Shisui, if I get caught then I will be in serious trouble. It seems a lot to bet on when a single hit will destroy my clone. If Itachi got caught, then it's possible for someone at my skill level to get hit by peers." I pointed out with narrowed eyes._

"_I already said Itachi's problem wouldn't happen to you." Shisui quickly assured. _

_Next to him, Itachi nodded._

"_I wasn't well liked by my classmates. They thought I was arrogant. To a certain extent I was, I thought it was impossible for another student to land another hit on me which is why I didn't take enough measures to get caught. I ended up fighting a large group of 7 classmates at once. I could of a taken them, but one of them managed to get behind me and grab me. This gave another student enough time to break my clone." Itachi confessed. "It ended up not mattering because I was already being considered for early graduation, and this display of talent ended up confirming their suspicions."_

"_But you agree with me that doing this seems risky?" I pressed him. I couldn't be the only one who thought this was crazy. _

"_Normally, I would. But not this time." Itachi assented. "To make your dreams palpable, to live the life you wish of and for you to achieve your goals, something is going to need to change. If you cannot graduate early, then perhaps this is the solution. Besides, the issues I had, none of them apply to you. You're relatively well liked by your peers meaning that none of them will want to pick fights with you. Your bykaugan means that no one will be able to sneak up behind you. If we plan this correctly, then everything will be fine."_

_I was floored. Itachi was the voice of reason in comparison to Shisui and I. I was the one ruled by emotions. Shisui was the one who would make rash decisions. I didn't think Itachi would agree with such an outrageous plan._

"_Fine." I huffed. "But we need to come up with a strategy to this, besides just being careful."_

_At my agreement, Shisui threw his hands around Itachi's and I's necks. As we struggled to break free, Shisui burst into a grin._

"_Now that we're all in agreement. Boys, lets finish planning!" _

* * *

_Rule Number 1: Be friendly to everyone. But not overly friendly, as you do not need unwanted __attention. Make no enemies but maintain a distance._

"Neji-kun!" A group of girls called out as the clone entered the room.

"Neji" gave a half-hearted wave to the girls, whose names he couldn't bother to remember. Despite the lack of passion in his wave, the clone could hear a faint shriek as the group of girls began arguing over he was waving at.

"Neji" made his way to his usual seat making sure not to pay too much attention to his peers.

'_Maintain your distance' _He thought. _'Be kind, but also distant. They will sense your __unwillingness and disinterest. They will think your merely introverted. This will cause them to __not want to bother you and keep interactions at minimal.'_

As "Neji" reached his seat, he was greeted to the site of an unusual visitor right next to his seat.

An excited visitor that looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Neji-san!" Lee called out. "I hope you don't mind if I sit here today!"

Internally, the clone cursed. Sitting next to Rock Lee would bring him the opposite of the inattention and disinterest he sought. Instead of the irritation the clone felt, the clone shot Rock Lee a kind smile.

"It's fine, Lee-san." The clone said simply as he sat down. The clone cast his eyes towards the front doing his best to ignore the energetic boy next to him.

The said boy began to fidget next to him.

"Neji-san." Lee blurted out. "Would you care for a test of strength? Perhaps an arm wrestle or-"

"No."

The clone winced. Perhaps, that had been to harsh. But Lee needed to take a hint sooner rather than later. Besides, Neji being antagonistic towards Lee was how the original story went.

The clone risked a glance to his side towards Lee.

'_It's just to check.' _He assured himself. _'Being too mean to Lee would go against this first rule.' _

Lee was pouting. But he didn't seem too upset.

_Good._

The clone turned to face the front as Satoshi-Sensei walked into the room.

_The first part is over now the next._

* * *

"Neji, may I speak with you?" Satoshi-Sensei called as the students filed one by one out the door

towards their destinations for lunch.

'_What could he want now?' _The clone sighed to himself. _'Is it time for the second rule?'_

"Yes, Satoshi-Sensei?"

"It was unfortunate to hear about your Uncle's rejection regarding your early graduation." The teacher confessed.

_It's time for Rule #2._

"Yes, I agree!" The clone huffed.

_Rule Number 2: You can't pretend to not be upset over your lack of early graduation that would be even more suspicious. No, you must admit that your upset regarding the decision but also show acceptance._

"It was really upsetting when Hiashi told me. I couldn't believe that he would say no to this decision. It had been a goal of mine for a while to graduate early. But I have to admit that a small part of me was relieved though." The clone admitted.

Satoshi-Sensei cocked a single brow.

"Why is that?"

"Being a shinobi isn't as glamorous as my peers believe it to be. I've lost both my parents to the profession. As well as this, I'm not sure if I was ready to take another life." The clone shuddered.

"Your wisdom reveals your place as a prodigy." Satoshi-Sensei praised. "Rarely do graduates consider these factors when becoming genin."

"Thank you, Sensei!" The clone bowed.

Satoshi-Sensei placed a hand on the bowed shoulder of the clone.

"You're a good kid, Neji." The Teacher said gently. "Perhaps, it's good that you have more time to enjoy your youth."

The clone couldn't help but feel a warmth at these words as well a slight pang of something else. Satoshi-Sensei, despite the almost sadistic pleasure he took in causing his students suffering through testing, did honestly care about his students and made a point to check in on his students as he was doing for him for right now.

It almost made the clone feel bad about lying about being the real Neji.

"Thank you for checking up on me, Sensei." The clone said sincerely.

"You're welcome. This isn't the only the thing I wanted to tell you. I understand how slow this class may seem to you. That's why I'm giving you permission to read other material during my teaching." Satoshi Sensei explained.

The clone's eyes widened. To be able to do that would increase Neji's training twofold!

"Thank you, Sensei!" The clone gushed. The clone hurried into another bow.

"Just make sure you sit in the back of the class." Satoshi sensei chuckled. "But no sleeping during class or getting behind on your work no matter how easy it may seem!"

"Hai, sensei!"

* * *

"Neji-san?"

The clone turned to look at Rock Lee from where he was sitting down.

After lunch had been time for sparring, and despite the clone's best efforts, the clone had been unable to shake Rock Lee from following him. Rock Lee had quickly sat down by him and made a point to talk to him.

_What could he possibly want now?_

"Why is your byakugan active while you're sitting down?" Lee asked curiously.

_Rule Number 3: Caution is key. Don't run when you can walk. Look both ways when crossing a __street. Most importantly, use your byakugan when possible._

'_Why do you always ask the hard questions, Lee?' _The clone thought bitterly.

"Training." The clone explained, unable to hide the exasperation from his voice. "Using the byakugan more often helps me get used to strain it puts on my eyes as well as helps me improve the distance I can see."

This was a truth. Just not THE truth. Lee wouldn't know the difference.

Lee bought the lie and begin nodding.

"I see. A form of training that you can do even when actively not on a training ground." Lee's expression lit up. "I was thinking of doing something similar with training weights."

The clone couldn't hide the surprise from his expression. Lee hadn't started using training weights till he left the Academy in the original story. Another a sign in how his caster's presence had impacted the story.

"You might want to hold out on that till you're older." The clone said absentmindedly as he tried to focus on the sparring match in front of him. "Excessive exercises such as weight training at prepubescent ages can prevent and hinder the growth of the body and the formation of muscles that would be helpful for someone seeking to become a taijutsu specialist."

Rock Lee sent the clone a confused look.

'_I forgot I wasn't talking to Itachi for a second.' _The clone thought.

"Training too hard when you're young can sometimes prevent you from growing tall. Height can be a helpful tool if you want to be a taijutsu specialist. " The clone explained gently. Rock Lee looked astonished at the boy next to him.

"Training to hard can prevent me from growing stronger later? What am I supposed to do?" Rock Lee cried out.

Around them, other students began to look at the pair of boys as Rock Lee began to loudly lament the horrors of his lifestyle.

_And this is why I shouldn't sit next to Rock Lee._

"The next match will be Neji Hyuga versus Rock Lee." Satoshi sensei called out towards us. Cursing his luck, the clone stood up making his way towards the arena with Rock Lee following him.

Behind him, Rock Lee had a look of visible excitement as he finally got to test himself against his rival. His expression screamed one of determination and one of resolve. Finally, he would have the chance to test his skills against the person he admired the most.

The clone felt noticeably less excited.

"Perform the Seal of Confrontation."

"Time to show you how much I've improved." Rock Lee said as he brought his hands to perform the seal.

The clone said nothing as he wordlessly performed the seals.

_I'm sorry Lee._

_Rule Number 4: End sparring matches as quickly as possible. You cannot afford to go easy. One __lucky blow is what takes for your cover to be blown._

* * *

Lee stared up at shock from his place on the ground.

One throw was all it took.

Lee had been quick to throw the first punch. The clone had quickly sidestepped the punch and

threw and redirected his weight towards the ground.

Applying a soft pressure to Lee's throat the clone called, "End the match, Sensei!"

Satoshi-Sensei nodded.

"This match goes to Neji Hyuga."

"Sometimes the answer isn't power and speed, but patience and technique." The clone tried to say as gingerly as possible as he helped the boy up. "But you have improved since we last sparred, Lee. There was a lot of speed and power behind that punch."

'_I also didn't beat him this fast last time we sparred. I hope I didn't break his new found self-confidence.' _The clone worried.

"Just as skilled as I would expect from the my rival." Lee appraised as he was helped up. "I need to up my training even more if I am to catch up with you."

_I guess not._

The two boys performed the Seal of Reconciliation and made their way towards their seats.

'_Lee improving is actually worrisome. It could cause unforeseen circumstances in the plot, it could also mean that if he keeps improving he could actually land a hit on me. I can't afford to not take him seriously' _The clone thought with a frown. _'I might not be able to keep this up for four years. But I still have other issues to worry about. For now, I need to take this one day at a time. This is a problem for the real Neji. Class is almost over, I need to find an alley on the way back so I can poof without detection.'_

* * *

Memories flashed through my head as I reached the last page of my book on the theory behind medical ninjutsu.

I looked at the sun above me as an indicator of the time.

_I guess it roughly time for The Academy to end. I just didn't realize because this day had flew by._

I had locked myself into a remote location of the training grounds, near my meeting place with Itachi and Shisui, for this portion of the day because I hadn't wanted to get caught.

The day had been largely uneventful. I had been too afraid to do too harsh training because I didn't want questions regarding why I was so tired. Itachi and Shisui were off on missions so I ended up spending the day by myself.

Most of my time was spent reading or doing chakra exercises that weren't too chakra intensive like the leaf sticking exercise. As well as this, I had practiced molding my water nature chakra without the formation of specific jutsu.

It had been a day well spent. I hadn't realized how much time I was actually wasting at the Academy. The amount of work and self-improvement I had gotten today was a good clue regarding this. I did a quick scan of the memories of my clone paying close attention to anything out of the ordinary.

_Satoshi-Sensei is willing to let me read during class? That's great! But, my relationship with Rock Lee is getting to be troublesome._

I hadn't expected my words with Rock Lee to have such an impact. The anime and manga had shown Rock Lee to be rather talentless until he started training under Might Gai. But Rock Lee was improving at an exponential rate, he could end up top taijutsu in the year aside for me. I didn't know what this spelled for the plot. Rock Lee had been deadlast in his year with only slightly above average taijutsu. As well as this, Rock Lee was very actively seeking me out throughout our day. He didn't want me as just a rival but also as a friend.

This was another distraction I couldn't afford.

With my head in my hands, I made my way towards the Hyuga Compound. Hiashi greeted me as I entered the building. I gave him a nod back.

"How was your day at the Academy?" Hiashi asked.

This was a question with hidden meaning. Hiashi rarely asked this. No, Hiashi was using this to gauge my feelings regarding his decision to not let me graduate early.

"Uneventful." I replied honestly. "I hope this improves as I get further along with the Academy."

Hiashi nodded.

"I would expect so." Hiashi replied.

There was an awkward silence for the moment. Neither of us knew what to say to address.

_Do I have to be the adult here?_

"Uncle Hiashi, would you be willing to show me exercises on how to extend my sight in the byakugan today during my training with Hinata?" I asked him.

Hiashi nodded again. "Yes, I would be willing to."

"Thank you, Lord Hiashi."

_Rule Number 5: Treat your Uncle with the respect he wishes from you. Do not show any sign displeasure regarding his decision. Also NEVER have him see your Shadow Clone because experienced byakugan users can tell the difference between clones and humans._

* * *

**Notes: **

** IndraSenin: I'm not going to force you to read my story if it's not suiting your tastes. I mean obviously I've put my character in a position in which he is forced to be basically a slave to the Main Branch. Obviously, this will eventually be addressed within the story though an arc addresssing it. But, I have no immediate plans to do that within the next few chapters because that makes no sense for where the story or the character is currently at. As I said, I'm not forcing you to read this, I will keep some of your suggestions in mind as I write this story.**

**Thank you everyone for the feedback. I'm happy people still care about this story.**


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